When I'm Gone, Redux
by Author of Authorness
Summary: [Dead] Kim is becoming disenchanted with hero work. Shego is getting sick of taking orders. Both are harboring hidden feelings, and it's all getting worse. Something's gotta give, right? Kigo, with sprinklings of songfic.
1. When I'm Gone

AN: Alright, Second time through. Let's see if I can't make it better.

This story is Kigo, as in Kim/Shego. The pairing. Which means Femmeslash. If it offends, leave now. If you read it anyway, it's your own freaking fault.

I own nothing but my computer.

The lyrics in this chapter belong to the band Three Doors Down. The song is When I'm Gone.

_Font is Kim's thoughts_

_**Font is Shego's**_

_**F**__o__**n**__t __**i**__s __**B**__o__**t**__h_

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Kim sighed as she switched off her Kimmunicator, turning to her closet for her mission clothes.

Drakken again. And with Drakken came Shego…

She bit her lip, trying not to think about the green skinned girl. It wasn't…she didn't want to let them go. She had to go through with the mission, try and stop them. Even though she knew it was dangerous.

It had always been dangerous, of course. But recently…it had become even more so.

Mainly because her feelings toward her 'nemesis'…

* * *

"And when Possible gets here, she will be trapped!"

Shego rolled her eyes, still sulking against the wall as Doctor Drakken rambled on.

Fighting Kimmie again, while not at all a bad thing, was getting more and more…uncomfortable.

In truth, she wanted to be close to the redhead, without the threat of imminent pain…god, if only things were different…

* * *

"Come on KP! Ride's here!"

Kim sighed again as she followed her enthusiastic friend outside, to the waiting helicopter.

"Hey, what's wrong? Life still got you down?"

Kim shrugged.

"Well, don't worry. Wiping out Doctor D's lame schemes is sure to cheer you up."

Kim just rolled her eyes. She knew well enough how these things went. Ron bumbled around, trying to help, and would eventually end up breaking whatever it was that was supposed to destroy her, or enslave the world, or whatever.

And she would be fighting Shego. The more dangerous side of the job...sometimes she wondered if she would ever see home again…

And again, she wished it wasn't like it was.

_You don't know me as well as you think, Ron…_

* * *

"Are you listening Shego!?"

She wasn't. She was lost in thought, thoughts that seemed to turn towards a particular topic more and more often as time went by. Her life. And Kim's…

The girl led a dangerous life. As dangerous as her own. It was another in a long list of reasons not to try and get closer to her. She wouldn't always be there. And Shego hated the idea.

_**Yet another one of those little secrets of mine…**_

* * *

…_There's another world inside of me that you may never see…  
_

…_**There's secrets in this life that I can't hide…  
**_

…_Somewhere in this darkness there's a light that I can't find…  
_

…_**Maybe it's too far away...  
**_

…_Or maybe I'm just blind...  
_

…_**Maybe I'm just blind...**_

_

* * *

_

Kim looked down at her house as they rose into the air, slipping on the headset.

"Glad I could give you a ride, Miss Possible. I'm hopin' it'll match up to that favor you did me."

Kim smiled slightly. "No big, Mr. Delorme. It was only a little midair repair work. I'm just glad I had a friend to walk me through it."

"Well, you can thank that genius buddy of yours for me, too."

Kim just looked out the window again. Yet another dangerous job she had done. Hadn't thought anything of it at the time.

But…it made her think…what would she leave behind? Her family would be torn, and her friends would be broken. There were bound to be hundreds of people who would feel bad about it, if only for a moment.

So why did she risk it?

What did she get from it?

Nothing. She helped people, but at what cost? Yes, she had friends and family, but…she wanted something more.

She shuddered slightly as that thought led her to the one she'd been trying to avoid…

* * *

"I'm going to get some fresh air, that's where I'm going! Now leave me the hell alone!" Shego slammed the door behind her, leaving a whiney Drakken to stare around an empty room.

She'd gotten fed up with his plotting. Needed some time to think, in quiet. And get ready for the fight that was bound to happen. Hell, it was supposed to happen. There was a countdown to when it was going to happen. Kimmie's chopper was bugged for a reason, after all.

The thief turned enforcer took a deep breath as she broke into the open, a rocky platform that served as a landing pad for the hovercraft. The air was cool on this side of the small mountain, the time of day putting the sun on the opposite side of the rock. The shaded area was the perfect place to think…

Different. Why did she even want things to be different? What would be the good?

So, she could have done something more…productive. But it wouldn't have been as _fun_. She could have continued along the lines her education had set, but it would have been nearly unchangeable.

No control. No real freedom. Not with society in the way. All those rules.

In fact, the only perk she could see was the infinitesimal possibility of getting to know Possible.

Why did that have to be so god damn appealing?

* * *

_So hold me when I'm here…  
_

…_**Right me when I'm wrong.  
**_

…_Hold me when I'm scared…  
_

…_**And love me when I'm gone…  
**_

…_Everything I am, and everything in me…  
_

…_**Wants to be the one you wanted me to be…  
**_

…_I'll never let you down, even if I could…  
_

…_**I'd give up everything, if only for your good…  
**_

…_So hold me when I'm here…  
_

…_**Right me when I'm wrong…  
**_

…_You can hold me when I'm scared…  
_

…_**You won't always be there…  
**_

…_So love me when I'm gone…_

* * *

She wanted someone, she realized. Someone that could keep up. _Truly_ keep up, not just bumble around behind her, like Ron. Someone to share her adventures with…someone who _knew_ her.

She guessed that's why she was attracted to Shego.

Kim frowned and mentally shouted at herself for even _thinking_ she was attracted to Shego.

* * *

What would she do this time? After all, if this plan worked…

"It'll never work. It's _Drakken_." Shego scoffed at the very idea.

But…what if it did? Would she be able to watch, as the young crime fighter was sliced up with lasers?

The answer was a resounding No.

Would she really give up her career as a villain, something that took her years to build, for the sake of that red-head?

The answer was Yes.

And that's the part that bugged the hell out of her.

The far off sound of a helicopter, echoing among the rocks. Shego spun and sprinted back inside. Whether the girl could handle this scheme or not, she had to be ready…

_

* * *

_

_  
When your education x-ray cannot see under my skin, I won't tell you a damn thing that I could not tell my friends.  
_

_**Roaming through this darkness, I'm alive but I'm alone. Part of me is fighting this, but part of me is gone.**_

_So hold me when I'm here…  
_

…_**Right me when I'm wrong…  
**_

…_Hold me when I'm scared…  
_

…_**And love me when I'm gone…  
**_

…_Everything I am and everything in me…_

…_**Wants to be the one you wanted me to be…  
**_

…_I'll never let you down, even if I could…_

…_**I'd give up everything, if only for your good…  
**_

…_So hold me when I'm here…  
_

…_**Right me when I'm wrong…  
**_

…_You can hold me when I'm scared…  
_

…_**You won't always be there…  
**_

…_So love me when I'm gone…  
_

…_**Love me when I'm gone...**_

* * *

"So Shego. Still trolling around with Drakken? Figured you'd be tired of his plans blowing up in your face."

"What can I say? The pay is good." Shego smirked. "What about that buffoon of yours? I think he's actually getting worse at this."

Kim growled and leaped forward.

* * *

_So hold me when I'm here…  
_

…_**Right me when I'm wrong…  
**_

…_Hold me when I'm scared…  
_

…_**And love me when I'm gone…  
**_

…_Everything I am and everything in me…_

…_**Wants to be the one you wanted me to be…  
**_

…_I'll never let you down, even if I could…_

…_**I'd give up everything, if only for your good…  
**_

…_So hold me when I'm here…  
_

…_**Right me when I'm wrong…  
**_

…_You can hold me when I'm scared…  
_

…_**You won't always be there…  
**_

…_So love me when I'm gone…  
_

…_**Love me when I'm gone...  
**_

…_When I'm Gone…  
_

…_**When I'm Gone…  
**_

…_**W**__h__**e**__n __**I**__'m __**G**__o__**n**__e__**.**__.__**.**_

* * *

"GAH!! KP! THE THING IS GLOWING!"

Both Kim and Shego stopped where they were and looked up. Drakken's newest death device was indeed glowing, a bright violet that was nearly painful to see.

"Time to go?" Shego muttered.

"Seems that way." Kim scowled.

"Next time, Princess. You won't get off so easy." Shego shoved the crime fighter to the side, turning to run. Doctor Drakken had already fled to the hovercraft, and they were gone in seconds.

Ron rushed over to help Kim up, and the pair rushed out, stopping to grabbed the jet-packs that they had stashed.

They shot away, just as the lair exploded.

* * *

Kim sat on her bed, just staring at the floor. Another mission, done, and for what?

A pat on the back, a 'congratulations' and the honor of coming back again.

What was the point? What had she changed? Drakken's device had destroyed itself. If he'd turned the thing on, it would have been the same.

_I wish…_

_

* * *

_

Shego stood on the balcony of her safe-house, staring up at the stars overhead. Drakken had gone to a backup lair to revisit his old friend, Mister Drawing Board, and after today's failure she knew to expect a few days of free time. Unless of course he had another one of those pre-prepared schemes, in which case she would need to steal whatever random things he deemed necessary…

"Jeez…" She turned around, leaning against the railing. Why was she even thinking about it? It didn't matter...she didn't need to wonder. She just needed to wait for her…

Orders…

God, she wasn't free anymore…not like she had been…

_**I wish…**_

* * *

_T__**h**__i__**n**__g__**s **__c__**o**__u__**l**__d__** b**__e __**d**__i__**f**__f__**e**__r__**e**__n__**t**__.__**.**__._

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AN: So. Better or worse than last time? I'd like to know.


	2. It's not Over

AN: Okay then, here's the slightly updated chapter. I hope you all enjoy!

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Shego watched, quietly, from behind the mirrored glass. Below her, in the center of a large, circular room, stood Kim Possible, feet locked into special traps, arms snapped into heavy clamps, shackled to the ground. The entire rig made of nearly unbreakable metal.

She was well and truly caught.

But…it had been an underhanded blow. Tricking her in there by threatening her friend (Who was chained to a wall in the same room, his little rodent hanging next to him.)

Drakken was ecstatic, of course. Ranting about 'Drakkanada' again.

Idiot.

Shego reached up to put her hand on the glass, staring down at the redhead, who glared up at a spot just slightly to her left. The crime fighter couldn't see her, but she could probably guess where they were.

They were waiting for the death ray to warm up (Drakken hadn't bothered with ease of use, opting for sheer destructive power instead) and, bored, Shego's mind had once again drifted.

Kim…

They fought, regularly. There was a level of respect on both sides. But Shego was sure she was the only one of them who felt anything more.

Even so…she'd hate to lose that contact.

She blinked as it suddenly sunk in that, if Drakken succeeded, she'd never see the girl again.

…_**Good riddance. She stole my armor…made me feel.**_

She didn't mean it though, and she knew that.

If only that girl hadn't gotten under her skin…

She found herself wishing, again, that, maybe, if she had still been good…or, if they hadn't first met during one of Drakken's plots…or if Kim wasn't such a goody-goody…

If, if, if…Lot's of if's. Nothing real.

She thought back…Back to when she'd first met the girl...

* * *

_**I was blown away, what could I say? **_

_**It all seemed to make sense. **_

_**You've taken away everything, and I can't deal with that.**_

_**

* * *

**_

She'd been just fine, but that girl went and made her _care_.

* * *

_**I try to see the good in life, but good things in life are hard to find. **_

_**We'll blow it away, blow it away…can we make this something good? **_

…_**Well I'll try to do it right this time around... **_

_**

* * *

**_

If only things could be simple again...without feeling. Cold.

But no…she just had to go and fall…

* * *

_**Let's start over.**_

_**Try to do it right this time around **_

_**It's not over, 'cause a part of me is dead and in the ground. **_

_**This love is killing me…but you're the only one **_

_**It's not over.**_

_**

* * *

**_

She was sick of this, the way things had become. She was stuck with that idiot Drakken. And Kim…She was bound by her reputation. If only she could take the chance to talk to her…it was a pipe dream, but Shego thought she could make her see sense…

* * *

_**Taken all I could take, and I cannot wait. **_

_**We're wasting too much time.**_

_**Being strong, holding on…can't let it bring us down. **_

_**

* * *

**_

It was weird, how the little fights, the banter…how easily they became her life. She looked _forward_ to the fighting, craved it. Because when they were fighting, she was herself again.

* * *

_**My life with you means everything, so I won't give up that easily. **_

_**I'll blow it away, blow it away…can we make this something good? **_

'_**Cause it's all misunderstood **_

…_**Well I'll try to do it right this time around… **_

_**Let's start over.**_

_**Try to do it right this time around **_

_**It's not over, 'cause a part of me is dead and in the ground. **_

_**This love is killing me…but you're the only one **_

_**It's not over.**_

_**

* * *

**_

If there was even the slightest chance for change, why was she allowing it to be endangered?

_**

* * *

**_

…_**We can't let this get away… **_

_**

* * *

**_

"Get a hold of yourself…" She muttered, ignoring the still ranting Drakken. "Figure it out…"

_**

* * *

**_

_**Let it out, let it out, don't get caught up in yourself **_

_**Let it out… **_

_**Let's start over.**_

_**Try to do it right this time around **_

_**It's not over, because a part of me is dead and in the ground. **_

_**This love is killing me…but you're the only one... **_

* * *

No…it couldn't be over…

* * *

_**It's not over. **_

…_**Let's start over...**_

…_**It's not over… **_

_**This love is killing me…but you're the only one.**_

_**It's not over…**_

* * *

A klaxon blared. Red lights flashed.

Suddenly, Kim's restraints released, and she leaped toward her friend, who had just dropped from the wall.

Drakken was raving as the teen hero slipped out of the room with the sidekick, obviously headed for the exit.

"Shego, what happened!?"

Shego moved her hand away from the release button as he turned to her, expression disinterested again.

"Hell if I know."

The blue scientist fumed, looking around. "Tell the henchmen we're leaving. She's bound to be back, most likely with that darn Global Justice…" He continued to ramble as he left the room.

Shego sighed and leaned forward, resting her forehead against the cool glass. She stared down at the room through half-lidded eyes, ignoring the almost-ache in her chest.

"Maybe next time Kimmie."

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AN: And there you have it. Prolly not much better, but Meh.

Pleaseplease_PLEASE_ Review. Tell me what could change, what could be better, what I'm doing right, what's I'm doing wrong...I need some help here, folks!


	3. Over and Over

AN: And the last of the originals is remade. I changed this one completely. The only things even remotely the same are the point of view and the song. Hopefully, this is a lot less weepy.

I take the opportunity to warn you that this is not a happy fluff tail. There might be some later, but for now it's angst-y. Sorta.

Song is Over and Over, by Three Days Grace.

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Kim Possible, teen hero, the girl who's motto was 'I can do anything'…was torn.

She kicked at a loose stone, watching it skitter along the path, into the undergrowth. A deep breath was sighed out, as she tilted her head back to look up at the sky, the stars.

She'd been coming to the park more and more often lately. It was a good place to think, which was unfortunate, considering she wanted to _avoid_ thinking. Thinking lately led to places she didn't want to go.

_Well…that's not entirely true, is it?_

Kim sighed, running a hand through her hair before returning her attention back to the pathway.

* * *

_I feel it everyday, it's all the same.  
It brings me down but I'm the one to blame.  
I've tried everything to get away…_

_

* * *

  
_

No matter what she did, she couldn't get rid of the thoughts that plagued her. Despite the serious wrongness that came with them.

"_Maybe that's because you don't bother actually thinking them through."_

"_Shut up!"_

Kim cringed as she realized she'd just responded to the voice in her head, and then shook her head as she realized who the voice sounded like.

The road opened again and she reluctantly turned down it.

* * *

_So here I go again,  
Chasing you down again.  
Why do I do this?_

_Over and over, over and over  
I fall for you…  
Over and over, over and over  
I try not to._

_

* * *

  
_

"Who's falling?" Kim grumbled to herself, shoving her hands in her pockets.

"_Who do you think?"_ Her annoying inner voice shot back.

* * *

_It feels like every day stays the same  
It's dragging me down, and I can't pull away_

_So here I go again,  
Chasing you down again.  
Why do I do this?_

_

* * *

  
_

Why was she still thinking about Shego? Why was she still even considering something so ridiculous? Why did she care? Why was she angry and sad and…so conflicted…

She wished that her Kimmunicator would never ring again…but at the same time, she wanted to leave at that very second, take on a mission…preferably with Drakken and Shego…

* * *

_Over and over, over and over  
I fall for you…  
Over and over, over and over  
I try not to!_

_Over and over, over and over  
You make me fall for you.  
Over and over, over and over  
You don't even try…_

_

* * *

  
_

Kim huffed out a breath as she flopped onto the bench, letting her head fall back over the edge and closing her eyes. "This stuff doesn't make sense…I'm sick of things not making _sense_…" She stayed where she was for a moment, focusing on her breathing, but the calm didn't last long.

"Darn it…" She hissed, reaching up to run a hand through her hair. Her mind was…racing. Moving every direction at once.

Why couldn't she let these things be?

* * *

_So many thoughts that I can't get out of my head!  
I try to live without you, every time I do I feel dead.  
I know what's best for me _

_But I want you instead  
I'll keep on wasting all my time…_

_

* * *

  
_

And, as expected, nothing changed.

_

* * *

Over and over, over and over  
I fall for you.  
Over and over, over and over  
I try not to.  
_

_  
Over and over, over and over  
You make me fall for you.  
Over and over, over and over  
You don't even try to…_

_

* * *

  
_

Another sigh broke loose, and Kim stood. It was late. She needed to get home…

Near the edge of the park, she spotted trouble. And unfortunately, trouble spotted her. She sped up. They followed. She felt a rare anger, bubbling up, at how disgusting and idiotic people like this must be...

She turned on her heel, glaring at the group. They fanned out to circle her, all grinning. She could spell the alcohol from where she stood.

"Hey girlie." One of them slurred, stepping forward. "Howsabout you walk with us for a bit, huh?"

He didn't get much further before a fist slammed into his trachea. His eyes went wide as he choked, falling to his knees. Kim stared. His buddies decided to back him up then. Within a couple of minutes, all of them were unconscious, and most of them wouldn't be walking right for a long time.

Kim looked over them for a moment, then began running.

She just wanted to go home…

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AN: Hope you liked it, despite the shortness. I ask that, if you read, take the time to review. I like _constructive_ critisim, but I don't mind vague 'I liked it' reviews.

Until next time!


	4. First Interlude

AN: And the next chapter has appeared. A non musical Interlude, because it's hard to find fitting music in some cases ^^;;

In reference to Wade's last name. I have seen it as Lode in every instance. As the the spelling, I wasn't entirely sure on it. So, if it's that bad, just correct me.

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Ron stoppable was not a bumbling idiot. Sure, he came off that way, but he was sharper than many thought. So of course, he noticed when Kim, his best friend since Pre-K, started getting quiet.

Now, Kim was never extremely outspoken. She never bragged, or went around looking for attention. But she never sulked. She never sat there, staring at the table in silence. At least…she never used to.

But now, when they were hanging out, she'd drop into silence. Any lull in the conversation would cause her to fall silent.

And missions…

The aftermath was the worst. Especially with Drakken's plots. Even when they won, she'd get…hostile. It was a little scary.

"Hey, come on KP, no need to freak out…I was just saying…"

"We'll catch them next time, I know!" Kim scowled, an expression that was becoming more frequent. "But we _should_ have caught them _this_ time."

"Kim, you did all you could do." And she had. She'd kept fighting, while he'd been stuck to a wall with Drakken's 'Super Goop'. Rufus had been the one to trip the self destruct. "I mean, that was low, knocking you into those crates."

Kim winced. "Yea. Wasn't expecting it." She had. She'd just hesitated to block. She'd been hesitating the entire time. Dammit…

"So come on. Bueno Nacho, on me."

They loaded out of the GJ chopper trudging into the Possible household.

"Yea, sure…I guess…"

Ron frowned at his friend's response, but nodded. "Cool."

* * *

Betty Director had never been accused of being a people person. She was cold, calculated, and focused on her job, which happened to be running a world-wide 'crime stopping' organization. Always looking to the greater good.

But she was not ignorant of the little things. She knew when a person was conflicted, especially if that person was Kim Possible.

One of their greatest free lance agents ever. She'd pushed the girl to sign on at her eighteenth birthday, and the six months since then had seen more and more completed missions. She had decided that she was ready for some of the less…dramatic…problems the world faced.

Now she wasn't so sure. The change venue seemed to cause problems. Perhaps…she should have waited.

But they _needed_ her help. As good as her agents were, they lacked…finesse. Unfortunately, the darker side of the world seemed to have an effect on Kim. And she didn't seem to realize that the technicalities were to keep the world safe. If a few heavily armed weapon's dealers vanished mysteriously…what was the difference? They weren't coming back. Which was a good thing.

"I've told you, Kim. We're the good guys."

The girl standing in front of her was nearly in tears, yet it was offset by the look of fierce determination.

"And the good guys _kill_ the bad guys, even when they've surrendered!?"

Dr. Director sighed. She'd sent Kim in with a team of Global Justice agents this time. Stop a war criminal from the Ukraine, who had smuggled a dirty nuke into the county. After getting the weapon contained and incapacitating the criminals…her team had done as ordered and erased the problem.

Kim had, of course, gone back to check out the noises. She'd seen the team cleaning up the mess. And hadn't liked it.

"Miss Possible, these are…dangerous times. And these were dangerous people. If we were to put them in jail, they would escape, and kill more people. Think of it as…putting down a rabid animal." She shook her head. "They are beyond help. The best thing to do is end it quickly before they hurt others."

Kim slammed a fist down on the desk. "YOU CAN'T JUST COMPARE THEM TO ANIMALS!"

"Miss Possible! Control yourself!" Dr. Director frowned and leaned forward. "The villains you faced until this point are _jokes_. They never succeed. Never did, even before you started fighting them. The truth is, we only bother dealing with them to keep them in line. On the off chance one of them actually succeeds."

Kim's expression was shocked.

"Now please…go home. Rest, and think things over."

Kim glared, turned, and left.

Betty Director sighed and leaned back in her chair. Perhaps it would be necessary to slow down her progress…save the cleaner missions for her…

* * *

Wade Lode was not stupid. He was, in fact, a genius. And he used his skills to run Team Possible. Well…he didn't _run_ the team. In the end, it was Kim that made the decisions. And he was fine with that. It was _fun_ working with her. Much better than any video game.

He looked up at a particular screen, watching Kim fight Shego through the hacked security cameras in Drakken's lab. He loved watching fights, and had become a bit of a fan.

Enough to know when Kim was off her game.

He could see her leaving openings, as if she wasn't concentrating. He could see the flaws in her form.

And he had no doubt that Shego could too.

But the green thief wasn't taking the opportunities. She wasn't taking advantage of the open guard or the poor foot work. In fact, she seemed to be suffering the same problem.

To anyone else, it would look like an amazing fight. But to someone with a highly analytical mind like his…something was up.

And then Ron came through. The self destruct was triggered (Wade couldn't help but wonder why there was always a self destruct), and the villains were escaping.

Mission complete. Wade tapped a few keys, calling their ride back into the area and triggering the report generator to satisfy GJ.

He frowned, and tucked away the video file for later analysis. Something was up…

* * *

Ron Stoppable is not an idiot.

Betty Director is not ignorant.

And Wade Lode is by no means stupid.

But none of them could see the real depth of the problems Kim Possible was facing.

And things were only getting worse.

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AN: As always, I ask you to read and review. Please. It only takes a second, and it's painless.


	5. Fake It

AN: Wow. This update came a bit faster than expected.

Now we're getting somewhere though. Sort of. Ish.

...

Anyway...Song is Fake It, by Seether. There's _one_ word, but the song doesn't sound quite right without it. Just a forewarning.

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Shego took a deep breath, stepping out of the shower stall. She waved a hand over the control, turning off the jets of steaming water. Drakken's lairs, despite their penchant of exploding at the drop of a hat, were the best when it came to tech. Even if it was stolen.

A quick once over with her plasma dried most of the water, and she snagged a towel for her hair. She dried and dressed, finding a small comfort in the green silk pajama bottoms and black cotton top. As she made her way to her bed she pressed a button, causing the day lights to be replaced by a dull green glow, giving the room a surreal appearance. She slipped under black and green sheets, and closed her eyes.

Meditation was never her strong suit, but lately it was a necessity. If she wanted to get any sleep, that is.

So, a few minutes of mumbling was followed by a few minutes of quiet blankness, before sleep overcame her.

* * *

_She was…standing. In the middle of…a room? Stone, and steel…and computers._

_A lair, then. That made sense. But what…_

"_Hello?"_

_There was a sound, to her left. A door, opening. Shego blinked as she stared at…herself._

_It was another Shego, complete with surly scowl and glowing green hands. Shego, the real Shego, hopped back, dropping into a defensive stance. Just in case._ "_Gah, how many times to I have to threaten Dr. D before he gets the drift? 'No clones' I tell him, but does he listen?"_

"_Quit your whining." Shego was surprised when her double spoke, and showed it. "It's pathetic."_

_Shego's scowl matched the clone's. "Oh, shut up. I can whine about a breach in contract."_

"_It's not just the contract though!" Shego II growled. "It's the whole damn situation! Look at yourself! Completely falling apart. And because of what? Because of Drakken? Because of some cheerleader who keeps beating your a-"_

_A blast of plasma flew at the double, but she dodged easily. Shego flared her plasma again, snarling. "Keep talking. I dare you."_

_"Can't deny it, darlin'. You're starting to realize how screwed up this is getting. I mean, sure, it's a cush job, but you're a gofer for a guy who plans to rule Drakkanada. Your arch nemesis is a teenage adrenaline junkie. Who you just so happen to be falling for." Shego II raised an eyebrow. "What the hell happened here?"_

_Shego continued to scowl, but straightened up. "Like I know?" She crossed her arms, glaring at the double. "So, what're you supposed to be? My conscious?"_

_Shego II snorted, mirroring the first's position. "Hardly." She tilted her head. "For all you know, you've finally gone crazy."_

_When Shego didn't speak, the double continued. "So answer me. What happened to Shego, international thief? When did you become the lackey?"_

_

* * *

_

_**Who's to know if your soul will fade at all?**_

_**The one you sold to fool the world.**_

_**You lost your self esteem along the way.**_

_**

* * *

**_

_Shego stiffened. "I don't think I need to explain myself to…myself."_

_Shego II laughed. "God, you're so full of it…"_

_

* * *

_

_**Good God, you're coming up with reasons**_

_**Good God, you're dragging it out **_

_**Good God, it's the changing of the seasons**_

_**I feel so raped, so follow me down!**_

_**

* * *

**_

"_Why don't you just shut up, huh? I'm doing just fine. Pay is good, I get vacation time…I'm fine!"  
_

_"Then where's that freedom you were always preaching about?" The double sneered._

_

* * *

_

_**And just fake it, if you're out of direction**_

_**Fake it, if you don't belong here**_

_**Fake it, if you feel like infection**_

_**Whoa-oh-oh, you're such a fucking hypocrite.**_

_**

* * *

**_"_You're blowing it out of proportion. I can turn down any assignment Drakken hands out. I just…choose not to."_

_"Sure. Go with that." Shego II rolled her eyes. "And what about Princess? You gonna just explain that away?"_

_Shego was silent._

_Her double chuckled. "I love how you actually imagine having a chance with her. You're so, absolutely pitiful. And you left behind everything you ever cared about…for a _thrill_."_

_Shego clenched her teeth and fists, narrowing her eyes. "Shut up…"_

_

* * *

_

_**And you should know that the lies won't hide your flaws**_

_**No sense in hiding all of yours.**_

_**You gave up on your dreams along the way**_

_**

* * *

**_

"_I couldn't STAND being part of that joke! Team Go…"  
_

"_You left them hanging, because you couldn't stand taking orders."_

"_I'm not an 'orders' person." _

"_Then why do you take them from Drakken?"_

"…"

* * *

_**Good God, you're coming up with reasons**_

_**Good God, you're dragging it out **_

_**Good God, it's the changing of the seasons**_

_**I feel so raped, so follow me down!**_

_**

* * *

**_

"_Just accept it. You're a screw up. A failure. Always doing the wrong thing."_

_"I'm one of the best thieves in the world." Shego hissed._

_Shego II smirked. "You _were_ one of the best thieves in the world. How many of your robberies have gone well recently? How many times have you barely scraped your way out?"_

_Shego scowled. "I do just fine."_

"_I think we've been over this part already…"_

_

* * *

_

_**And just fake it, if you're out of direction**_

_**Fake it, if you don't belong here**_

_**Fake it, if you feel like infection**_

_**Whoa-oh-oh, you're such a fucking hypocrite.**_

_**

* * *

**_"_You can't just show up and accuse me…"_

_"You can't pretend, and fool a pretender." Shego II smirked. "I'm you. And we're sick of this."_

_

* * *

_

_**I can fake with the best of anyone**_

_**I can fake with the best of them all**_

_**I can fake with the best of anyone**_

_**I can fake it all…**_

_**

* * *

**_

"_So what's it gonna be? Sit back while your life goes to hell? Or are we going to stand up and do something?"_

"…"

* * *

_**Who's to know if your soul will fade at all?**_

_**The one you sold to fool the world.**_

_**You lost your self esteem along the way.**_

_**Good God, you're coming up with reasons**_

_**Good God, you're dragging it out **_

_**Good God, it's the changing of the seasons**_

_**I feel so raped, man, follow me down!**_

_**

* * *

**Shego smirked suddenly, not opening her eyes. "You actually have to ask?"_

_Shego II smirked as well. "No. You had to ask."_

_

* * *

_Something snapped. Shego sat up in bed, taking a deep breath as she stared around the room.

She sprang up. Stripped down and slipped into her cat-suit. Grabbed a duffel bag from the closet, stuffing in her pajamas, a couple sets of clothes, a pack of tools, a small box that contained every memento she couldn't leave behind.

Then she shouldered the bag and walked out.

* * *

_**Just fake it, if you're out of direction**_

_**Fake it, if you don't belong here**_

_**Fake it, if you feel like infection**_

_**Whoa-oh-oh, you're such a fucking hypocrite.**_

_**

* * *

**_As expected, Doctor Drakken was still awake, plotting over his old fashioned drawing board.

It was kindling a second later.

The blue man spun, eyes wide. "Shego! What..."

She was already walking back towards the door. "Consider it my resignation, Doc."

"What!?"

She was gone.

* * *

_**Fake it, if you're out of direction**_

_**Fake it, if you don't belong here**_

_**Fake it, if you feel like infection**_

_**Whoa-oh-oh, you're such a fucking hypocrite.**_

_**

* * *

**_She left her jet. She left her car. She didn't want to take more than necessary.

A black and green motorcycle glided out of a hidden garage, winding down a mountain path before firing off down a nearly abandoned highway.

The open night sky, the stars. The _prospects_.

"_I'm free again…"_

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

AN: In answer to a question, yes, there will be more songs XD. I just have to actually think of them. You can help though. Got a song you think'll fit? Send it in a review. Send it in a PM. I don't really care. But I will, without question, go over it to see if I'll use it. And who knows? It may show up.

As to where I'm going with this...well...I do have a basic idea. It's getting there that's a little unsure ^^;;. It'll work though. Trust me?

OH! And please review.

Thank you.


	6. Breathe Today

AN: New chapter, new troubles.

I own nothing. The song Breathe Today belongs to Flyleaf.

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"Hey there Kimmie cub. How was your day?"

Kim glanced up as her dad spoke, not even pausing on her way to her room. "Fine, dad, just fine…"

Mr. Dr. Possible watched the wall for a moment, then unfolded his paper with a frown, deciding to talk to his wife about it later…

* * *

Kim shook her head as she dug in her backpack. Lately it had been…suffocating. Dr. Director had put her on 'temporary leave', read as 'suspension', until further notice, meaning no missions from Global Justice.

That wouldn't normally be bad, but recently…the world just hadn't needed saving. The villain community seemed to have taken a break in doing…anything. No robberies or kidnappings.

Not even a cat up a tree.

And what was worse, the other things she would normally do to fill her time, the normal things…just seemed…unappealing. She didn't want to sit around Bueno Nacho with Ron and Rufus, or go shopping with Monique.

So she did homework.

And watched TV.

It had been that way for a week.

As she opened her trig book, staring at problems she'd already finished and mentally prepping for the next set, she drifted. Just a bit.

But that annoying voice in the back of her head just had to start chewing her out. Just like every other moment she let herself think too much.

'_Why are you just sitting here doing homework. Aren't you just itching to get to work?'_

She dutifully ignored the voice.

'_Or are you too afraid to face down Dr. Director?'_

Kim sighed and pulled out her notebook, snatching a pencil from a drawer.

'_Gonna let her decide for you, huh? Pathetic.'_

_

* * *

_

_You can only move_

_As fast as  
_

_Who's in front of you._

_

* * *

_

"Lessee…we have to have sixteen through twenty six for tomorrow…and then finish through thirty eight by Thursday…"

'_Don't you just hate how things have gotten harder since you joined GJ?'_

"I could probably just work ahead and focus on studying the rest of the week…"

'_All that red tape really gotcha down, huh?'_

"Should be simple enough…"

'_So why go through proper channels at all?'_

_

* * *

_

_And if you assume  
_

_Just like them  
_

_What good will it do?_

_

* * *

_

Kim set her pencil on the line, studying the problem for a third time…she just needed to focus…

'_That's how Shego did it. She dropped the hero bit. Left Team Go. Made her own rules.'_

She erased what she'd written, grumbling as she had to start over. "Making stupid mistakes…"

* * *

_So find out for yourself,  
_

_So your ignorance  
_

_Will stop bleeding through._

_

* * *

_

'_You're afraid…to let go of it. Your precious heroics…'_

_

* * *

_

_You can breathe today_

_

* * *

_

'_But tell me…is this the work of a hero? _Killing_ the bad guys? Doesn't sound like something your parents would approve of.'_

Ridiculous argument. She didn't kill anyone.

"Now...I just need to focus…"

* * *

_So many _

_Lies swirling_

_Around you  
_

_You're suffocating!  
_

_The empty_

_Shape in you  
_

_Steals your breath  
_

_You're suffocating!_

_

* * *

_

'_Something's missing and you know it…'_

Kim hissed, tossing her pencil down in frustration. How could she be the hero if she was working for Global Justice?

"'Greater good'. What a load of…" a pause.

Great…now she was starting to sound like Shego…

* * *

_Logic forces me _

_to believe in this  
_

_And I have learned to see._

_

* * *

_

Global Justice was corrupt. There was no avoiding it.

She worked for people who were no better than most criminals.

Again, she thought of Shego. Wanted in so many countries…what had she really done? She stole things, yes. She helped Drakken, yes. But did he ever take over the world? No. Had she ever hurt anyone? Well, yes…but she hadn't killed anybody. So why was she really a priority?

It was almost like someone at GJ had it out for her, in particular.

How messed up was _that_?

* * *

_And I can only say _

_What I've seen and heard  
_

_And only you can choose._

_

* * *

_

She did have a choice in things though. She could quit GJ. Wash her hands of them. Sure, it would mean no more missions…

Ever. That wouldn't work. They had allowed her to do her thing in the hopes of making her an agent eventually. But…without their acknowledgment of her as a free-lance agent…she was just a vigilante.

If she quite, she wouldn't ever be able to go back.

But…she couldn't give that up…she _lived_ for the action…

* * *

_And every choice you make _

_Will effect you.  
_

_Search your own self._

_

* * *

_

Would it be worth it? To continue working for that organization?

'_For a _rush_.'_ Her mind supplied in a sneer.

Kim winced, closing her eyes. It would be so much better if she didn't feel like she was being crushed. Everyone expected her to make the right decision for everything…how was she supposed to know…

* * *

_You can breathe today..._

_So many _

_Lies swirling_

_Around you  
_

_You're suffocating!  
_

_The empty _

_Shape in you  
_

_Steals your breath  
_

_You're suffocating!_

_

* * *

_

'_There's another option.'_ Her mind supplied. '_Freedom. From it all.'_

_

* * *

_

_So many _

_Lies swirling_

_Around you  
_

_You're suffocating!  
_

_The empty _

_Shape in you  
_

_Steals your breath  
_

_You're suffocating!_

_

* * *

_

'_Shego did it. She got out of Team Go. Why not do the same?'_

Kim blinked at the unexpected thought.

'_You and Shego are more alike than you let yourself believe. And you're stuck in the same situation. Only a few choices. So make a decision.'_

_

* * *

_

_Big enough to fill the void that's inside of you.  
It's just a breath away…_

_So many _

_Lies swirling_

_Around you  
_

_You're suffocating!  
_

_The empty _

_Shape in you  
_

_Steals your breath  
_

_You're suffocating!_

_

* * *

_

'_How much longer is this going to last? Another week? Two? Three? How long before you break? How long before you go to them, begging for a mission, just so you have something to do?'_

_

* * *

__So many _

_Lies swirling_

_Around you  
_

_You're suffocating!  
_

_The empty _

_Shape in you  
_

_Steals your breath  
_

_You're suffocating!_

_

* * *

_

'_They're suffocating you, and you know it. So choose. Will you let yourself drown? Or will you breath?'_

_

* * *

__So many _

_Lies swirling_

_Around you  
_

_You're suffocating!_

_

* * *

_'_BREATHE!' _Her mind called out.

* * *

_The empty shape in you…_

_Breathe today…_

_

* * *

  
_

Kim's expression was blank as she swept her desk clear, pulling out a piece of scratch paper.

A note was scribbled, and taped to her computer screen.

A bag was packed, gadgets and clothes mixing haphazardly. A small lockbox was opened, and a wad of money was pulled out, and stuffed in the bottom of the bag.

She turned out her light and left through the window.

She didn't know where she was going. But she knew she couldn't stay. She'd find a way…

First things first, she needed to go to ground.

Her thoughts as she ran were jumbled, but one did stand out.

'_No more…I'm done…I'm…free.'_

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

AN: So, Kim's made a decision, huh? And she's decided to get out.

Where will she go next...well...you'll just have to wait for the next update.

Was this too fast? Too slow? Did you hate it or love it? Do you have ideas for more songs? Review and let me know what you're thinking.


	7. Second Interlude

AN: And, because my brain is impatient -brain chitters and scurries around- I bring you the next chapter.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Ron stoppable blinked, nearly dropping the phone.

'What do you mean 'she left'?' He had asked. He hadn't liked the answer.

"I'll be right over."

* * *

"Dr. Director!"

The one-eyed woman looked up, glaring at the man who dared burst into her office. She'd been especially busy with paperwork recently, due to the lack of hard intel on several drug lords…

"What is it?" She growled.

The man paled, but saluted quickly and delivered his report.

Dr. Director blinked, once, twice, then turned, tucked the papers away into a bomb-proof filing cabinet, and stood.

"Open an omni-channel to the possible residence."

* * *

When the Television screen flickered to life, the Doctors Possible were sitting in their living room, talking worriedly with Ron and Monique, trying to figure out why Kim would up and _leave_.

The sound of someone clearing their throat brought attention to the large screen.

"Dr. Director?" Ron blinked, a little surprised…

She only nodded, looking to the Possibles. "Forgive me for intruding. But news just reached me…Kim is _gone_?"

Anne nodded quietly, holding up a piece of paper in a shaky hand.

Dr. Director only frowned.

* * *

And so, Kim Possible, Teen hero, adored by millions…vanished without a trace. The search was broadcast, every T.V station blasting general reports, encouraging people to report her if she was seen. Missing person's reports were sent to every law enforcement agency in the country, and to many outside of it. In every police station, every precinct, there was a poster hanging on a wall among others.

'_Have you seen Kim Possible?'_

There were sightings, here and there, huge numbers of fans hunting their areas, all desperate to find her.

But they never did.

And as time passed, people just…stopped caring. She had vanished, literally, without a trace. There hadn't been any sightings in so long…she wasn't coming back.

And then, after seven months of absolutely nothing, Dr. Director made a decision.

Kim Possible was declared to the public…to be dead.

The Nation mourned. There was a giant public service, and it was televised across the world.

But the casket was empty.

* * *

Shego couldn't believe it. There was no way…no…the kid had been invincible! No way had she died…no. It was a scam. It had to be. After all, she had called in five of the eight sightings. She had been hunting harder than anyone else. Because, if Kim was gone, how could they fight? How could she see her again?

But…watching the service…she couldn't help but wonder…what if she was wrong? And Kim was dead?

No…she refused to believe that. No way would the Kimmie she'd known let herself die. She'd fight the Grim Reaper to a standstill, and then send him packing to pick up some other poor sap.

She had to be out there, someone. And Shego was going to find her.

* * *

Kim Possible was, in point of fact, alive. And, after hiding so well, for so long, she was excited at the most recent turn of events.

So, as she watched the news, watched them bury the hardwood casket…she smiled.

* * *

_**Six Months Later**_

* * *

"You sure about this?"

The tiny microphone glued to her throat picked up the sub-vocalization, transferring the data into a small device on her belt, which in turn sent it flying through the ether with a powerful receiver/transmitter.

A similar device, albeit nearly thirty times the size of the first, snatched the passing signal out of the air, and passed it through a translating device that turned the data into audible sound.

"Of course. I am the best, after all."

The transmitter fired the reply along the same pathways, until the tiny receiver in the belt picked it up, sending it along a much shorter pathway, into a wireless ear-bud, where it vibrated the sound into her ear.

"Yea yea…" The figure, dressed all in black, and currently hanging upside down over a glass display case, chuckled quietly. "You rock. Now…lemme focus here."

A gentle humming came through the ear-bud, causing her to chuckle again. "Focus means 'quiet time'."

"Right…"

She shook her head, reaching up to snatch a small tool from a kit at her side. Quiet scratching was heard for a moment as she drew the glass cutter in a circle, large enough to allow her hand and prize through easily.

That done, the tool was tucked away, and the figure lowered slightly. She rapped a knuckle against the circle, snapping it away, then, with speed that would put a striking snake to shame, pushed her hand through the hole and caught the falling glass.

A moment to carefully pull it out and lay it on top of the case, and she reached down again, hesitating just before touching the object within.

"You're absolutely sure about the pressure sensors?"

"Offline."

A moment to breath, a small grin, and she wrapped her hand around the object, pulling it up out of the case.

There was silence. Absolute. It was the sound of a perfect heist.

And it was interrupted by the blaring alarms and flashing red lights.

She sighed, cutting the cord that held her up and dropping to the ground with ease. She pressed a button that sent the cord slipping back up into the vent, to sit with it's micro-winch sytem until the next time they decided to replace or clean that duct. It didn't have anything incriminating on it anyway.

"'The pressure sensors are offline, you can trust me, I'm the best'…you rock no longer."

"Aww…that hurts. It really does." There was a slurping noise over her ear-bud, the last bit of soda being pulled away from the ice in the bottom of a cup. "They _were_ offline. Something else triggered the alarm. Now, let's make some decisions."

"Right." She tucked her prize into a specially designed pouch on the side of her belt, smiling behind her face mask and looking around. "Four possible exits, two of which are now covered, one now unavailable…"

"You disconnected." It wasn't a question.

"Yup." The cheery answer pulled a sigh from the other voice. "And now there's an unexplained tripping of an alarm to investigate."

"Come on, you got your trophy. Can we just pull out this time?"

"Nope."

Another sigh. "Alright, next gallery, pressure sensors...in the floor were triggered."

"Thanks." The figure in black drifted silently in the direction indicated. She passed through a wide hallway, glancing left and right before entering the next exhibit.

In front of her, another figure was currently cursing a blue streak, apparently trying to reach something beyond the security bars that dropped into place when the alarm tripped.

"Problems?"

The second figure spun, eyes wide as her hands flared green.

The one in black stepped back, eyes wide behind her mask.

"Shego!?"

The green skinned villainess paused for a moment, then smirked. "I see my reputation precedes me." She glanced around. "So...you some new vigilante? Here to save the day?"

The figure shook her head, silently glad for the vocal scrambler incorporated into her mask. "I _was_ about to get away clean with _this_." She pulled her prize out of its pouch, holding the huge ruby up to the light. "When _somebody_ tripped the alarm."

Shego just grinned. "Well where's the fun in a heist when everything's quiet?"

"I _really _want this. I only trip alarms when I don't absolutely have to have my trophy." She glanced over her shoulder, humming a couple of notes. "Speaking of which…what are you after?"

Shego scowled and turned. "This."

'This' happened to be an emerald encrusted tiara, fine gold woven around the gems.

"After all, last day of the exhibit is tomorrow, so of course…"

"Security won't be as tight, yea." The figure in black smirked. "Except that's a relative term. Security was cracking down on these pieces."

Shego raised an eyebrow. "Now someone bothers to tell me."

Sirens could be heard outside, and the figure chuckled when Shego cursed again. "You really want that thing bad, huh?"

Shego just grumbled. "Can't get it now."

"Need a ride out?"

The other thief paused.

"Rooftop exit is least defended. And I've got a clean getaway stashed nearby."

"….Sure."

"This way then." The Figure spun on her heel, sprinting away.

* * *

They reached the roof easily, Shego raising an eyebrow when the other thief leaped from the edge, crossing the gap to the next building.

"Come on!"

Yes, it was surprising that another thief had chosen the same night to steal from the same museum. And yes, it was a bit odd that said thief was decked out in black, with some kind of helmet/mask thing. Yes, the electronic warble added to her voice was grating and suspicious. But she was willing to trust her. For now.

If only because of the nagging curiosity…

They moved across several rooftops before dropping into an alley, where a black, 1973 Charger waited patiently. The figure slid into the car, motioning for her to do the same.

The motor practically purred as they pulled out of the alley, merging easily with the sparse traffic of the night.

"Oh, yeah. Here."

Shego blinked, and looked up in surprise as something landed in her lap.

The tiara.

"How…?"

Shego had the distinct feeling that the figure was grinning beneath her helmet-like mask. "Skillz. I has them."

"You mean skills _besides_ talking like a brain-dead teenager?"

The figure turned her head slightly, and Shego raised an eyebrow.

"Yes." She said finally, turning back to the road.

Shego just leaned back, turning the tiara over in her hands so the emeralds caught the light.

"So where are we going?"

"My safe house." The other thief answered after a moment's hesitation. "Then I can get you a ride to wherever you need to go."

Shego nodded, and settled in to wait.

The wait didn't last long. They pulled into an underground parking garage, stopping at the far end, in the shadows.

"You're going to be sneaking for a bit longer."

Shego just shrugged, pushing her way out of the car and glancing around.

The figure in black was now reaching back into the car…and pulling out a gun.

Scratch that. It was a paintball gun.

"Cover." She explained simply. "The man who works the desk saw me once, asked me what I was doing. First thing I could come up with."

As she spoke, she produced a handful of bright yellow paint balls, and proceeded to splatter them on herself.

"I'll distract him, you sneak into the elevator. I follow. Simple."

Shego couldn't help but smirk. "I like it."

"Let's go then."

* * *

"Ah, Miss Tenson. An exiting match?"

She smiled behind her mask and nodded, reaching up to wipe at some paint, and flick the switch on her vocal scrambler. "My team lost, of course, but only because we were out gunned." She smiled. "I held off five of them for a time, but they got me, and reached the flag."

The elderly man nodded. "Maybe next time, Miss."

"I'll make sure of it." She moved past him. "Later Walter."

The elevator was open, and waiting, so she slipped inside.

"Very nice."

She smirked, and nodded to Shego, before pressing the button for the correct floor.

* * *

Shego was mildly surprised at how…Spartan the place was. It was a penthouse suite, but there were hardly any furnishings. A couch, a television, and a table, with a chair on either side.

It was a safe house, yes, but from what the other thief had said, she'd been living here for awhile.

"Have a seat."

Shego just blinked and stayed standing as the other thief moved about.

The first thing she did was settle the ruby in a small stand on the table, humming the whole way. "Finally." She said sounding exasperated. "I know I used it, but you didn't have to wait so long."

Shego blinked, and opened her mouth to answer, but the other thief continued.

"Yes I know. No. Yes."

Ahh…she was talking to someone _else_. She had a partner…

"Come on…now that's not fair." There was quiet. "No, it was Shego."

Shego was listening carefully now, tilting her head.

"Yea…No, I think…I am." A pause. "Yea. Later Wade. You rock."

The green-skinned thief blinked. Wade. That sounded oddly familiar…

She looked up again as the other thief sighed, and watched as she peeled off her outer jacket, reaching up under the edge of her mask. She pulled it off in one smooth move, shaking out a mane of long red hair.

Shego's eyes widened and she felt her jaw drop.

"So." Kim smiled slightly, running a hand through her hair as she dropped the mask on the table. "You gonna sit down, or what?"

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AN: And so it begins.

Too fast? I like to think not, but I may be biased. Give me your opinion.

I'm also hoping to find music for the next couple of chapters, but, as always, I ask you helpful reviewers to help me in my search. Got a song? Does it fit? Have I not used it? Tell me, and I'll look it up.

Oh, and digital cookies anyone who recognizes the car!


	8. A Scratch on the Record

AN: Yes, I know, you probably expected more music. Well...I decided to work a bit more on the story, huh? Don't worry. The music is still going to be a part of things.

So, let the plot roll on.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Her mind just sort of…stopped. Completely frozen.

The masked thief…was Kim.

It was Kim.

Kim Possible was standing in front of her…

"…Kim?"

"Yep. It really is me." Kim gave a nervous smile. "Surprised?"

Shego blinked. "That…would be the understatement of the century…"

"Heh…yea…"

Silence fell for a time as Shego attempted to process everything. It wasn't easy, but once she got her mind back on track...well, it still wasn't easy.

"What the heck happened to you, Princess?"

Kim chuckled quietly. "_That…_is a majorly long story." She raised an eyebrow. "You might want to sit down."

Shego nodded, moving carefully to settle on the couch. Kim pulled one of the chairs at the table around, setting herself in front of the green thief.

"Umm…okay. Lets start…about a year and a half ago…"

* * *

Kim told her the story, how she'd dropped off the map to get away from Global Justice. It was…illuminating.

"So wait…I get the GJ thing…heck, even _I_ didn't know they weren't totally on the up and up." Shego held up a hand. "But…why _exactly_ did you become a thief?"

"Oh…um…well…" Kim blushed slightly, folding her hands together. "I sorta…was…inspired. By, ah…you."

Shego raised an eyebrow, grinning. "Hold on…you're using _me_ as your example?"

"Well, being a thief worked well for you when you left Team Go!" Kim frowned. "I just figured…"

"No, I get it…" Shego sobered slightly, but kept her loose smile. "You realized that there's something more exciting than being the hero."

Kim blinked, but gave a small smile and nodded. "I have to say, it's a lot more fun. Complete control over everything I do…it's…"

"Freedom." Shego nodded, looking wistful for a moment. "Trust me, Princess; I know exactly where you're coming from."

They sat for a moment longer, comfortably quiet.

"Oh, yea..." Kim cleared her throat. "You got a place to stay, right?"

"Trying to get rid of me already?" Shego grinned. "No place in your new little world for an old enemy?"

Kim blinked. "What? Oh! No, no…I'm not trying to get rid of you…I was just…"

"Relax." Shego chuckled. "Jeez, you need to learn to loosen up." She stood, rolling her shoulders for a second. "Yea, I got a place, and no, I don't need a ride. Just need a way up to the roof."

"Ah. Sure." Kim smiled slightly and stood as well. "Come on."

She led the way into the bedroom, opening a closet door and turning on the light. She looked around, then jumped up, grabbing a small rope loop and pulling down the trap door it was attached to.

The ladder dropped down with a thud, and Kim nodded. "Just up this way. It's, like, some kind of old access thing…dunno the whole story, but basically, it leads around to all the top floor apartments. There's another ladder and trap on your right, goes right to the roof."

Shego raised an eyebrow, putting one hand on the ladder and looking up into the dark. "Very nice…I like it."

Kim smiled. "Thanks." She paused, a bit of nervousness creeping into her expression. "So…I'll, ah…see you around?"

"You know…" Shego looked considerate. "I think you will." She smirked and pulled herself up the ladder, glancing back over her shoulder one more time. "Later Kimmie."

On a whim, she blew a kiss, before disappearing into the blackness.

Kim blinked several times, blushed, and quickly pushed the ladder and door back up.

A long pause, as she stared at the ceiling, and then she flipped off the light and went to go change.

* * *

Kim was feeling pretty good, kicking back on her couch, watching the news. They were still talking about the theft of the ruby in her hands, and the emerald tiara she'd given to Shego.

"Slow week." She smiled, holding the gem up to the light again. A bad habit she was quickly falling into.

She was interrupted by a buzzing from her phone. That in itself was strange. The phone was basically a dummy; she never used anything but the Kimmunicator 2.5 Wade had given her when she went rogue.

So when she picked up to find a text, she was mildly surprised.

_Not smart to leave a cell lying around, even if it's bogus. _

_Meet me tonight high rise on 15__th__ & Main. 41__st__ floor. _

_Dress for work._

_S._

Kim smiled, having no doubts as to who _S._ might be.

She reached into another pocket, pulling out another slim black device, pressing one button. "Hey, Wade? Looks like I have a job tonight."

* * *

A black-masked figure dropped onto the rooftop, turning a slow circle.

Another figure drifted out of the relative darkness of the roof, a slight swagger in her step as she approached the first.

"Glad you actually decided to show up."

Kim straightened out, turning to face the other woman. "Well, you didn't exactly give me a time."

Shego chuckled. "I guess I didn't." She looked around. "You have a good couple of days?"

"Suppose you could call them good."

"Well, you're going to be glad for the break." Shego turned. "Because I intend to see what you can do." She glanced over her shoulder, a grin breaking out. "Try and keep up, Princess."

And then she was running.

Kim blinked a couple of times, before breaking into a sprint.

Up and over ventilation ducts, AC units, scaling walls, leaping across gaps…they actually went _through_ a couple of buildings. Kim was always a step behind, but only just.

By the time they stopped, she was feeling the burn. It had been awhile since she'd had such a good workout…

Shego was leaning against a wall, smiling as she attempted to slow her breathing. "Not a bad run, huh Princess?"

Kim grinned. "Haven't done something like that in awhile." She leaned down, hands on her knees as she focused on breathing out. A minute passed while they both cooled down, and Kim spoke first.

"So why am I dressed for a heist?"

"First off…" Shego cracked her neck. "You should get used to calling it a Job. It's bad business to go around saying 'heist'. Just isn't done." She smirked and moved to the edge of the building, motioning for Kim to follow. "And I'll tell you."

"Down there…" She pointed at a relatively short, nondescript building below. "Is a 'private security firm'."

"Mercenary operation?"

"Got it in one, Kimmie." She grinned. "And this particular group has a very lucrative business working for a certain Global security agency."

Kim's eyes widened. "I knew they don't have enough full time agents…I should have realized they went for outside help."

Shego shrugged. "Meh, apparently they're pretty secretive. Not really your fault." She looked around. "Anyway, they're private. Very private. Don't like paper trails. So instead of wire transfers, these guys get paid with Cashy money." A smirk. "Which, once a month, rests right…down…there."

"So…" Kim reached up to scratch at the edge of her mask. "You want to steal it?"

"Not quite Princess." She smiled. "I'm just tagging along. I want _you_ to steal it."

"Me."

"Yup." Shego glanced down at the building. "Think of it as…a test."

"Um…you expect me to go in cold?"

"I got the schematics right here." Shego tossed a PDA over her shoulder, grinning as she heard Kim scrambling for it. "You have about an hour."

Kim blinked, and looked down at the device. She sat down and sighed, carefully scanning the documents as Shego watched the building.

Time passed slowly, but both were patient.

Shego broke the silence, turning to smile at Kim. "You ready?"

Kim smirked, tossed her the PDA, and stood. "I'm ready." She moved to look over the edge, glancing to her temporary partner. "Let's be bad-guys."

"Now you're talking." Shego laughed.

And then they moved.

* * *

"I still don't see why I can't call Wade…"

"Oh, quit whining." Shego rolled her eyes. "You depend too much on your little computer buddy. I breeze through places like this without help."

"You also have a few more years of experience."

"And how do you think I got that?"

"…Fine." Kim reached for a small kit at her side, slipping out a lock pick, twirling it between her fingers before setting it to the deadlock. She practiced at this, and was actually pretty good, so it popped open quickly.

Then she pried open code-lock panel, prodding at the circuit board for a moment, before shoving the door open.

"Very good…through I would have frozen the alarm _first_."

"Alright…let's just get inside."

* * *

"The safe is probably in the main office…so this way."

Shego chuckled. "Your sneaking skills are pretty good."

"I did have a lot of practice. Sneaking through a building with a couple sleep deprived guards is a cake walk compared to sneaking into a lair full of henchmen." Kim paused at a corner, listening for a moment before moving forward.

They wound around the hallways for a short time, but quickly found the office they were looking for, and cracked the door open.

"Alright then, Princess." Shego smirked as she flicked the lights on. "Let's see how you do with safe cracking."

Kim just smirked, walking over to the heavy, metal box.

"Are you going to make me do it the old fashioned way?"

"Got a better way?"

"Actually…" She pulled out a small glass bottle. "Yes."

"Nail polish?"

"Nope."

"Looks like nail polish."

"And my lipstick looks like lipstick."

"…Huh?"

Kim chuckled. "Just watch…" She uncapped the bottle, using the attached brush to spread the red polish around the lock. Then she capped the bottle, slipped it away, and pulled out her Kimmunicator.

"Didn't I say something about _not_ calling your hacker friend?"

"I'm not calling him." She pressed a couple of buttons, then held the device toward the lock. "Just using the programmed sonic trigger…" A high pitched whine filled the air.

The polish sat there for a time…and then started to hiss. And sizzle. And eat into the metal.

"Holy...remind me to ask before I borrow makeup from you, Princess."

"You intend to borrow my makeup?"

Shego raised an eyebrow. "Taking things a little literal, aren't we?"

Kim grunted as she pulled the safe handle down, swinging the door open. "We are sorta working here…"

"Which means it's the perfect time for jokes." Shego grinned and reached into the pouch on her leg, pulling out a black bundle. "Here." She tossed the wad of fabric to Kim. "Load it up."

Kim chuckled, unfolding the lightweight bag. "Should I leave a little? Couple bucks? Just to mess with them?"

"I think I have some pocket change…"

They both laughed quietly, as Kim began stuffing bundles of money into the sack. It only took a few seconds, and soon the bag was zipped shut, loaded heavy. Shego smirked, tossing a few pennies and nickels into the safe and shutting the door.

The two thieves turned and left the office.

* * *

"Okay…now…just one more thing to check."

Kim frowned slightly. "I kept up with you on the roof, got past alarms and cracked the safe easily. What else is there?"

Shego grinned and lit up. "Need to see how well you fight."

And then she tossed a ball of plasma down the hall, where it impacted a wall and exploded.

"Shego!" Kim hissed, looking around. "What do you think you're doing!?"

Shego laughed, rubbing her hands together. "Alerting the guards."

"Why!?"

"Didn't I already tell you?" She held up a hand. "Quiet now…I think I hear them…"

Just then, a pair of men rounded the corner, spotted them…and brought their heavy, automatic weapons to bear.

"So…take 'em down."

Kim gave Shego one more disbelieving look, then dove forward.

Oh so glad for the mask, now.

The men hesitated slightly, and that was all she needed. A high kick knocked the gun from the first's grasp. It spun twice in the air, and as the second guard turned with a look of surprise, she grabbed the loose weapon by the barrel and clubbed him over the head.

As he went down, she tossed the gun she was holding, knocked away the second gun, and turned to the first guard, who had recovered enough to attack her.

He was slow, though, and clumsy. She turned a tight circle, and grabbed the collar of his shirt as he passed. A sweeping kick and a sharp tug at the shirt floored him. A slight pause, to make sure he was unconscious, and Kim looked up to frown at Shego.

"Not cool."

Shego just shrugged, still completely relaxed. "Needed to see it. And while it's not the perfect test, it works for now." She grinned. "_Now_ we can get out of here."

They left the guards where they lay, and took off.

* * *

Kim sighed, leaning back in her comfy chair. Shego had split off, not-so-subtly hinting that she'd be back.

It was…kind of nice.

'_Ah, dammit, don't start that again…'_

She pulled her Kimmunicator out, dialing Wade. It only took a moment for the screen to flicker to the familiar face.

"Hey Kim." The super-genius set down his ever-present soda, smiling. "Have a good night?"

"You get everything cleared from the video files?"

"Wasn't much to clear, until your fight." Wade glanced to his right, tapping a few keys. "That part though…Uh, yea, I deleted it from their drives."

Kim raised an eyebrow. "You're still collecting video of my fights?"

Wade gave her a sheepish smile. "What can I say. You always bring me the very best _violence_." He shrugged, and turned to a different monitor. "On another note…I wasn't the first one to copy it."

"And what does that mean?"

"As I was, ah…collecting…the video, their servers sent out a micro-burst signal. Time delay, sends super compressed information to a remote system. Used to back up information." He paused. "I've been trying to track it, but whoever it is will already have the file."

"It'll take time to decompress though, right?"

Wade nodded. "It seemed to be encrypted too, so I have a small window. If I find it before it's seen, I'll see if I can't…corrupt it."

Kim smiled. "You rock, Wade." Her smile waned ever so slightly as a thought occurred to her. "But wait…they worked for Global Justice."

Wade nodded. "That's where I'm starting."

"But, they're, like, huge, right?" She tilted her head. "Can't they block you out?"

Wade scoffed. "Jeez, Kim, how many times do I have to tell you?" He grinned, leaning back in his chair. "You can't stop the signal." He looked around. "Now...go rest up. I'll get back to you on the situation with the video…and see if I can't pull up anything on Shego."

Kim blinked, but smiled and nodded. "Alright Wade. Later."

"Later Kim."

The screen flickered, returning to her 'desktop'.

She stared, for a minute, at the picture it displayed, before turning it off and closing her eyes.

Sleep came easily.

* * *

Shego smiled, flopping down on her bed.

She was definitely impressed. Kimmie had come a long way in such a short time. Sure, it was a surprise, but…not necessarily a bad one.

While she still depended a bit too much on her hacker, she was…good. Good enough to keep up with her on a simple job. And she'd adapted, somehow, with her fighting; aiming to put targets down hard, quickly. She obviously realized that this side of things was much less forgiving…

'_This is my chance…she's not unreachable anymore…'_

"Oh, God no." Shego squashed those thoughts quickly, reaching up to turn out the light on her nightstand. "It's far too late to be thinking about that."

Maybe in the morning…

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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AN: Good? Bad? Ugly? Review, and let me know.

Digital Cookies to the ones who recognize a couple lines (Which I don't own). For some reason, I think I'm going to have alot of my own cookies.

Also, I'm a little disappointed nobody recognized the car...well...I suppose I could always tell you. Some other time.

Until next time!


	9. Ladies and Gentlemen

AN: Hello again! Took me a bit to find inspiration, and I went with my first plan (That usually works out pretty well). So...yea, it may or may not be great. The fight is left open on purpose. Over explaining action can mess it up. I think it's better to leave it to the readers imagination, huh?

Ladies and Gentlemen, lyrics and music, belongs to Saliva.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Kim blinked, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes and smiling at the computer screen. She clicked the icon that had just appeared, leaning back in her chair as the screen flickered slightly.

"Hey Wade."

"Sup Kim." Wade grinned. "Just thought you might want to know about the video."

Kim nodded. "That'd be cool, but…um…aren't you tired?"

"Are you kidding? I could go another eight hours, easy."

"You know, sometimes, I think you drink too much soda."

Wade chuckled. "I upgraded from soda last week. This stuff is much better." He waved the cup in front of the camera.

Kim squinted, leaning closer. "Caf-pow? Isn't that stuff supposed to be ferociously unhealthy for you?"

"Meh." Wade shrugged. "Caffeine is caffeine. Now, the video?"

"Oh, right." Kim shook her head. "Sorry. Unlike some people, I actually get tired after a long day…night...whatever."

"I'll keep it simple then." Wade tapped a few keys, bringing up a small window on her screen. A video clip of her taking down the guards began to play. Shego moved into view, smiling slightly. No movement for a moment. And then they were gone. The looped as Wade continued.

"That's the last few seconds of the data file, and all I'm keeping." He sighed. "I deleted it from Global Justice's systems, wiped out every trace of it. No way for them to backtrack. So…you're mostly golden."

"Um…mostly?"

"Yea…someone on a very high level saw the video too. If I had to guess…"

"Dr. Director."

"I'm 99.8% sure." Wade looked to another screen. "There's no way they could know it's you, but…this means they know there's a new, big-time thief on the scene. They're going to be looking for you."

"They're not going to find me though, right?"

"You're super careful, so it should be fine. But they're not just after you."

Kim sighed. "Shego."

"She's careful too, though. All it really means is now they think she's got a partner."

"Right…" Partner? Interesting idea...

"Don't worry about things Kim." Wade smiled. "Go get some rest. You can look through old news tomorrow."

Kim quickly closed the window she'd had open, news clippings of a certain green thief, and glared at Wade. "Don't root around on my system."

"Sorry." Wade pressed a button. "No more. I promise."

"Good." Kim sighed, and pushed away from the computer. Sleep sounded good…

* * *

A week passed, with very little happening. Kim would have tracked Shego down, if the older woman hadn't gone to ground, leaving even Wade stumped. They couldn't even tell if she was still in the city or not.

It was more than a little upsetting to the former hero. But, after nine days, she got the call she was waiting for.

It had been a long night. She'd been studying up on some of the newer security systems on the market (Wade had been kind enough to send her some schematics), and had finally just drifted off in her chair. It was six in the morning when her Kimmunicator buzzed her awake, causing her to nearly fall out of the chair.

Kim scowled, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. The upgrades were nice but it was also a little annoying. Maybe the extra silence wasn't worth replacing the vibrate function with a tiny electronic discharge device…

"What is it, Wade?" She grumbled, pulling the Kimmunicator up to look at the screen. The young genius was sitting at his desk, looking wide awake and chipper…a bit irritating, actually. Didn't he _ever_ get tired?

"You have a call."

"What are you talking about?"

"Just hang on while I transfer it over…"

"Wait, what…?"

The small screen flickered to black. No visual feed…"Hey Princess."

Kim blinked. "Shego?"

"Know anyone else that could find you through your buddy?"

"Um…"

"Yea, okay, just ignore that." Shego chuckled. "From what I hear, you're having a boring week, huh?"

Kim nodded, then blinked when she remembered it was audio only. Stupid mistake..."Yea, pretty quiet..."

"You feeling up to a fight?"

"Um…what?"

"That little display of violence was interesting, and, I'll admit, pretty smooth. But I want more proof."

"Again…what?"

Shego sighed. "Look, Kimmie, just go with it."

"Um…Okay?"

"Good. I'll send the directions to your hacker friend, and meet you in a couple hours."

"Sounds…good..."

"Oh, and Kim?" Shego's voice carried her smile. "Bring your A-game. You'll need it."

There was a click, and suddenly Wade was back onscreen.

"Got the coordinates." He tapped a key, and numbers scrolled down the side of the screen. "You think this is a good idea?"

"You kidding?" Kim raised an eyebrow. "This is Shego we're talking about."

Wade paused, then continued typing. "Right…be careful."

"Always am, Wade. I guess...I'll call you back when I'm ready."

"Later Kim."

* * *

It was simple enough to slip out the rooftop exit. It was daylight, and she didn't want to risk getting her car spotted and 'confiscated'. So she was running for now…

The trip took about thirty minutes, and Shego was already on the rooftop Wade had directed her to, staring down at the entrance of the building across the street through a pair of binoculars.

"Have a good run?"

Kim just moved up to crouch next to the green thief. "It was nice." She raised an eyebrow. "So you getting proof I can fight has something to do with an office building?"

Shego chuckled and passed Kim the binoculars. "Nah. It has to do with who's in the office building. Check the street corners."

Kim did so, and frowned. "They look suspicious…"

"Zoom's on the right."

There was a quiet hum as Kim manipulated the control, zooming in further. "…they're undercover?"

"Yup. Check the street."

Kim scanned the area Shego indicated, and frowned again. "Unmarked vans. Surveillance?"

Shego didn't answer, instead waving upwards. "Now check the roof."

"…Guards…in GJ uniforms?" Kim lowered the binoculars. "What is this? Some kind of sting?"

"Sort of." Shego cracked her knuckles. "I've had a contact in GJ for awhile. S'how I've avoided them so long." And how she'd kept up to date when Kim went mission…"Found out about this little operation. Basically, this little branch of some company decided to siphon off some cash from a special fund. S'not there fault they didn't know what it was for…"

"What are you talking about?"

"Global Justice likes to call itself Government funded, but seriously, how do you think they pay for most of their stuff? Big corporations like having a say in things too."

"You're kidding..."

"Nope." Shego sighed. "So anyway, they dropped some agents here and there, and now they're going to send some people in to quietly…'ascertain the nature of the situation, and assure a peaceful outcome'."

"I'm guessing…'Intimidate to get the money back'?"

"You really _are_ sharp." Shego chuckled. "But that's not exactly what's going to happen."

Kim frowned. "So what _is_ going to happen?"

"We are."

"…seriously?"

"Yup."

"But…there's a lot of them…"

"Uh, that's sorta the point?"

"…"

"Tell me you're not chicken."

Kim gasped. "What!? I'm not…"

"Kim Possible, afraid of a little fight?" Shego was grinning now.

"I didn't say I was..."

"Heh, what's the matter, Princess? Afraid you'll break a nail?"

"What? How cliché is that…"

"Chicken!"

"How old are you exactly?"

Shego started making chicken noises, choosing to ignore the major probability that Kim was glaring at her from under that mask.

"Gah! Fine!" Kim stood, spinning on one heel. "Let's just go!"

Shego laughed, pushing herself upright and moving past the younger thief. "Yea, but maybe you should follow me. I actually know where I'm going."

Kim grumbled something rude under her breath, but followed.

* * *

Kim carefully closed the window, looking around the darkened office.

"So what's the plan?"

Shego just smirked. "We fight."

Before Kim could ask what she meant, she pushed the door open and walked out into the hall. An office worker spotted her, and began running the opposite way. Kim sighed and followed her. Obviously they were ignoring subtle…

Shego's grin became predatory as they rounded a corner to find a couple of GJ agents.

Armed agents.

"Hello boys…" Shego lit up, enjoying the way they flinched. "We were just on the way to talk to someone. Don't mind us."

One of the agents stepped forward. "Shego, you're under arrest. Please come in quietly…"

"Or what?"

Silence as they raised their guns. A clacking from behind signaled the arrival of a few more armed agents.

Shego's smile grew.

* * *

_Ladies and gentlemen please?  
Would you bring your attention to me?  
For a feast for your eyes to see.  
An explosion of catastrophe._

_

* * *

_

"Boys, you're really making a mistake."

Kim nearly smiled. Shego was still trying to play it off…it was actually a little funny…

"You have one warning. Surrender now."

"Oh, I don't think so. How about you surrender?"

* * *

_Like nothing you've ever seen before.  
Watch closely as I open this door.  
Your jaws will be on the floor.  
After this you'll be begging for more._

_

* * *

_

"Then you leave us no choice." The lead agent raised his weapon.

Shego just moved into a relaxed combat stance. "Princess?"

Kim mirrored her, facing the second group of agents. "After you."

* * *

_Welcome to the show…  
_

…_Please come inside…  
_

_Ladies and gentlemen!_

_

* * *

_

A surge of motion as Shego hit the leader. His gun melted in her hand, and he was thrown at another.

Behind her, Kim was practically dancing around the second group.

* * *

_**Boom!**  
Do you want it?  
**Boom!**  
Do you need it?  
**Boom!**  
Let me hear it!_

_Ladies and gentlemen!_

_**Boom!**  
Do you want it?  
**Boom!**  
Do you need it?  
**Boom!**  
Let me hear it!_

_Ladies and gentlemen!_

_

* * *

_

One group down, all of them unconscious. The two thieves heard voices, footfalls, heavy boots. More agents. Backup. They paused, looking around at the damage that had been caused, all of them paling slightly as they noticed the two in the middle of it all.

Shego grinned, Kim laughed quietly.

* * *

_Ladies and gentlemen, good evening.  
You've seen that seeing is believing.  
Your ears and your eyes will be bleeding.  
Please check to see if you're still breathing._

_

* * *

_

This new group didn't waste time on words, instead choosing to open fire. Kim took the lead, and the pair dodged and danced toward the agents. There was a paused as several ran out of ammunition, and Kim smirked. She spun, weaving her fingers together and holding her hands out.

Shego didn't miss a beat, stepping into the cradle and pushing up, even as Kim lifted, and threw her. The green thief went flying the rest of the way down the hall, wreaking havoc as she hit the group.

* * *

_Hold tight cause the show is not over.  
If you will, please, move in closer.  
Your about to be bowled over,  
By the wonders you're about to behold here…_

_Welcome to the show…  
_

…_Please come inside…  
_

_Ladies and gentlemen!_

_

* * *

_

They were suddenly in an open space, and surrounded by agents.

"Where are they coming from!?" Kim hissed, looking around.

"Who cares?" Shego pushed her back, tossing a plasma ball the other way.

* * *

_**Boom!**  
Do you want it?  
**Boom!**  
Do you need it?  
**Boom!**  
Let me hear it!_

_Ladies and gentlemen!_

_**Boom!**  
Do you want it?  
**Boom!**  
Do you need it?  
**Boom!**  
Let me hear it…_

_

* * *

_Shego was drawing the attention now, tossing plasma left and right. A few decorative plants and a desk had caught fire, and several of the agents were down.

But while they were concentrating on her, Kim was sneaking around, skirting the wall…

Before flying into an agent from behind and knocking him out with his own gun. One of them turned, and managed to alert the others before the light assault rifle hit him in the stomach, driving him to his knees.

The agents, realizing they'd been flanked, began splitting their attention.

Which only let Shego move forward…

* * *

_Welcome to the show…  
_

…_Please come inside…  
_

_Ladies and gentlemen!  
_

_**Boom!**__  
Do you want it?  
__**Boom!**__  
Do you need it?  
__**Boom!  
**__Let me hear it  
_

_Ladies and gentlemen!_

_**Boom!  
**__Do you want it?  
__**Boom!**__  
Do you need it?  
__**Boom!**__  
Let me hear it…_

_

* * *

_

Green flames flickered and died as the room fell silent. There was movement, a single agent trying to push himself up.

Kim pushed him back down, keeping her foot on the back of his neck so he wouldn't move.

"Satisfied?" She asked, looking to Shego.

"Oh yes." Shego paused to catch her breath, looking around at the wrecked lobby. "Nice moves, Princess."

"You too." Kim smiled, then sighed. "We'd better move…Wade says the police were notified…and that someone got a call through to GJ."

"Definitely time to move." Shego laughed, turning. "Come on. I got a place not far from here. Best to lay low for now."

Kim just nodded and followed her out.

* * *

Dr. Director was not happy. Not at all.

"What do you mean, 'they got away'. You're telling me that Shego and this mystery person bested thirty trained agents in under ten minutes, and then somehow managed to vanish without a trace?"

Will Du nodded, his expression blank as always. "I'm sorry, Director. There was no one in the area to follow them. All we know is that they took to the rooftops."

"In broad daylight too…" Dr. Director frowned at her desk. "First the robbery, now this…how did they even _know_ we were there?"

"Most likely the same way they knew about the payment to the private security company."

"You're thinking we have a leak?"

"It's entirely possible."

Dr. Director's frown grew even darker. "Go back to work. Keep an eye on things. And bring me a list of possible..._security risks_."

Will nodded, turned, and walked out of the office.

Dr. Director turned back to her computer monitor, pressing a single key. The video began to play again, looping over and over. Next to it was another window, this a clip of the battle that took place in the lobby of the office building.

This new player was good. Good enough to keep up with Shego. And smart too. She was practically playing her opponents…

The main problem was still Shego. With her back, and Kim Possible still gone, there was no one to oppose her.

Unless…

She pressed a button on her intercom, leaning closer. "Get me a line through to Wade Lode."

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AN: Do you love it, or hate it? Was the action scene fine, or too static? Review, and let me know what you think.


	10. Northern Downpour

AN: Sorry this chapter took longer, but life is becoming more hectic. School starts again soon, which means updates will start taking longer. I'll do my best to keep up, but, heh, life.

Northern Downpour belongs to Panic! at the Disco, though I don't use all the lyrics here. Just sorta heard it in the background of the scene…

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Shego laughed, leaning back against a wall.

"That was some fight!"

Kim couldn't help but grin, tugging the mask off and shaking out her hair. "I'll admit…it was fun." She drew a hand over her face, glancing at Shego. "You're pretty good at distracting people."

The green thief just smirked. "Um, Princess…glowing green hands? Flashy cat-suit?" She shook her head. "Weren't so bad yourself, sneaking around like that. And that toss was pretty inventive."

"I guess the years of cheer practice paid off."

"Oh, heh…yea. You were a cheerleader."

Silence fell, just shy of being uncomfortable.

"Are you hungry?"

Kim blinked, surprised at the question. "Am I…uh, yea. Kinda."

Shego nodded, and stood. "I know this pretty cool place, good food. Want to, ah…"

"Yes! I mean…uh…" Kim blushed slightly, glancing down. "Yea, that'd be cool."

"Cool." Shego scuffed her heel. "How 'bout I…swing by your place in a little bit?"

Kim nodded. "Sounds good."

"Right."

A definitely awkward silence.

"I'll just…go, then."

"Oh, right." Kim blinked, and suddenly fumbled with her mask, slipping it on again. "I'd better go, too."

They stood for a second more, and then went their separate ways.

* * *

"Okay…this'll work…right?" Kim stared into the mirror for a moment, then groaned and moved to her closet again.

She had sprinted all the way to her house, taken the fastest shower _ever_, and was now wasting precious time trying to decide what to wear. Part of her was irritated, wondering why it should really matter. It was just a friendly dinner. It wasn't as if it was a _date_ or anything…

Another part of her desperately wanted to impress the super-powered thief. And unfortunately for her sanity, this part seemed to be winning out.

"Darn it…how the heck am I supposed to know what to wear!?"

The landline phone rang suddenly, and she nearly jumped. She rushed over and picked it up, just before it rang a second time.

"Hello?"

"Ah, Miss Tenson. There is a…Sandra Gold, to see you."

"Sandra G…oh! Right. I'll be right down, Walter." A pause. "Hey, ah…Walter…casual, right?"

There was a pause, and a low hum. "I would have to agree, yes."

Kim sighed. "Thank you Walter. Tell her I'll be right down."

"Of course, Miss."

She hung up, sighed, and went to make a final decision.

* * *

Shego shifted uncomfortably, glancing up at the desk manager again. The old guy seemed nice enough, but he had given her the strangest look…a sort of smile, after he'd gotten off the phone. It creeped the hell out of her…

Dammit, why was she so nervous, anyway? Sure, she was in public, but it wasn't as if the everyday person noticed her anymore. And she wasn't going to get arrested anytime soon, even if she was recognized.

It wasn't that though. It was the fact that she was going out to lunch…with Kimmie…

'_As friends!'_ her mind chimed it. _'As fellow thieves!'_

She nearly facepalmed then and there. So pathetic…why did she have to clarify these things for _herself_?

"Hey, ah, Sandra."

She looked up, blinking in surprise. Kim was moving towards her, from the direction of the elevators.

"Hey…Tenson." She blinked, swallowing slightly before letting her expression fall into her trademark smirk. "Ready to go?"

Kim nodded, giving a genuine smile. She'd been a little worried, coming down in her kaki cargos and converse sneakers, white T-shirt covered in an old, sky-blue, zip-up hoodie. Definitely casual.

But it fit right along-side Shego's black jeans and green top…though the darker green jacket (ala Club Banana) added a quiet maturity…It was actually kind of cool…

"Sorry, what was that?"

Shego raised an eyebrow. "I asked if you wanted to take a cab or your car."

"Oh, um…Cab'll be easier."

"Cab it is."

"Have a good day, Miss Tenson, Miss Gold."

Kim glanced over her shoulder, and gave an uncertain smile at the desk manager. "Thanks Walter."

Shego blinked, and turned. "Come on."

Kim followed, glancing over her shoulder one more time before they walked out the door.

"Oh, by the way. It's Penny Tenson." Kim muttered in an offhand manner as they slid into the cab.

Shego gave her a look, frozen for a moment…before she barked out a laugh, seemingly having trouble controlling her breathing.

Kim glared at her, before turning to stare out the window. "It's not _that_ funny."

Shego only managed to breath long enough to tell the driver where to go, before she broke out in another bout of laughter.

Kim continued to glare out the window.

The cabbie wished that, for once, he wouldn't pick up the crazies…

* * *

"Wow."

"Yea." Shego looked up. "Cool, huh?"

Kim looked around, eyes wide. The restaurant was pretty big, and…well, odd. In the best way.

The floors and tables were polished wood, reflecting the dim light, various greens and blues, some soft-white lighting a few spots. Booths lined the walls, comfortable looking chairs and square tables scattered around the rest of the floor. There was a spiral stairway in one corner, leading up to a second level, almost like a balcony. Music played audibly from hidden speakers, very up to date. The walls were decorated with various posters, drawings, paintings, photographs…

It was an interesting atmosphere, to say the least.

"Huh…"

Shego smirked, motioning for Kim to follow. There was a podium to the right, a young man with a computer standing there. He looked up as they approached, raising an eyebrow.

"Reservations, under Gold."

The guy tapped a couple of keys, staring at the screen. "ID?"

Shego didn't hesitate, pulling out a small wallet and slipping out the card. The man looked it over, nodded, and handed it back. "Alright then…"

He waved a waitress over, taking a moment to direct her. The waitress led the way across the restaurant, up the stairway, to a small table near the back. A booth. They ordered drinks, and the waitress walked away.

Kim focused carefully on the menu, trying to narrow down what she might like…but the restaurant seemed to serve everything, and it all sounded so good…

"Hey, Shego?"

"Mm?"

"What're you ordering?"

Shego blinked, but flipped her menu open. "I dunno…kinda hard to decide. Down between the...chicken and rice, and…the steak…mreh."

"Those sound good." Kim tapped the table. "Hey, if you can't decide, how about we each order one, and split'em?"

Shego paused, lowered her menu, and raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

Kim faltered, looking quickly to her menu. "I dunno, just sounded like a good idea…we don't have to, if you don't…"

"Actually, that's not half bad." Shego nodded. "Sounds like a plan to me."

Kim just nodded.

* * *

"So…you come here very often?"

Shego nodded as she cut the steak, separating it easily. "When I can. I found it last year, but only managed a few trips."

Kim nodded, pushing her plate forward. A moment's work, and they managed to divide each dish equally. "I think it's pretty cool." She took a deep breath. "And this food smells delicious."

"Mmm, it is." Shego sighed, twirling her fork easily between her fingers. "It's all fresh, too. I love it." A moment to take a bite of her steak, and she smiled. "Very nice…try it."

"Alright…" Kim cut into the steak, bringing it carefully to her mouth.

"Ohmigod." She smiled, chewing slowly and swallowing before continuing. "This is great!"

"I told you." There was a hint of laughter in Shego's voice.

There was a comfortable quiet for a time, as they ate. Surprisingly, it was Shego who chose to break it.

"So you got into this whole…business…why again?" She tilted her head. "Doesn't really seem like the hero-cheerleader you."

Kim paused for thought, and took a drink before answering. "I dunno, really. I guess…it was sorta familiar."

Shego raised an eyebrow. "Really? How?"

Kim shrugged. "Well…I used to sneak into lairs all the time. Avoid alarms, guards…and if there was something stolen, I'd usually find a way to…reclaim it."

"Huh…" Shego smiled. "Guess I never really thought about it that way." She paused for a couple bites of her food, then nodded. "Okay, so I get that part…but why not just retire? Why go into crime at all?"

"Um…well, I couldn't _just_ retire." Kim shook her head. "I…don't think I could do quiet. I managed it…for about a week."

Shego snickered. "Bit of an adrenaline junkie?"

The former-hero blushed, reaching up to scratch her cheek. "I guess…so anyway, at a certain point, it was either masked vigilante, or thief."

"So why not vigilante?"

Kim sighed. "I guess…it was just…_to _close to what I used to do."

There was a long silence, and then Shego nodded. "I know that feeling."

"Y-you do?"

Shego shrugged. "Back when I left Team Go. Only had so many options, and went with the one that matched me." A smirk. "Mercenary."

Kim smiled. "That's what fit you?"

"At the time, yea." Shego smirked. "Getting paid to break things and fight? It was awesome."

"So what happened?"

Kim's innocent question made Shego blink, her expression turning a little sad. "Well…I grew up, to tell the truth." She sighed. "Kimmie…when I made that decision, I was trying to get back at my brothers. I mean, I don't regret it, but, if I'd thought about it more, I would have taken a different road."

Kim was…surprised.

"Really?"

Shego nodded, pausing for a moment to listen to the music, quiet guitar…

"Really, Princess." A sudden smirk. "Can't say I don't enjoy being a thief though…"

_If all our life is but a dream,  
Fantastic posing greed,  
Then we should feed our jewelry to the sea.  
For diamonds do appear to be…  
Just like broken glass to me._

"I kinda like it." Kim smiled, attempting to lighten the mood. "I mean, there's perks."

"Like that huge ruby?"

Kim's smile grew.

_And then she said she can't believe.  
Genius only comes along in storms of fabled foreign tongues.  
Tripping eyes, and flooded lungs.  
Northern downpour sends its love._

"Hey, Shego?"

"Mm?"

"Why're you so interested in how I'm doing?"

Shego tilted her head, keeping her expression level. "Care to elaborate?"

Kim traced a finger along the grain of the wood table, thinking. "Well…you keep talking about testing me. What for?"

"Ah…well…" Shego smiled. "You'll have to wait to know that. I'm not ready to tell you."

"Awe…Shego…"

_The ink is running toward the page,  
It's chasing' off the days,  
Look back at both feet and that winding knee.  
I missed your skin when you were east.  
You clicked your heels and wished for me.  
_

"Please?"

"Nope."

"Please?"

"No."

"Pleeeeeeease?"

"Nooooo…"

Kim sighed, watched Shego. Only one way to get the answer. It was underhanded, and she was a little rusty, but…it was just like riding a bike.

"Shego…"

The piteous whine in her voice made the green-skinned thief look up.

She instantly regretted it.

"GAH!" She threw her hands up, attempting to cover her eyes. "What the hell is that!?"

Kim Possible just leaned forward, moving beneath Shego's guard. She pushed the expression a bit further.

"Please tell me?"

"No! Now…stop that! Stop it now!"

"Please?"

Shego growled, attempting to turn away…but…those eyes…

"Gah! Fine!" She threw up her hands in surrender, scowling. "But you have to stop that…right now."

Kim straightened out her expression, turning it into a smile. "Alright."

"Jeez…what was that, Princess?"

Kim looked a little smug. "Possible family secret, passed down for generations." She leaned back and took a bite of her chicken, the picture of innocence.

Shego looked a little wary, and shook her head. "Okay…"

_Sugarcane in the easy morning.  
Weathervanes my one and lonely._

_Sugarcane in the easy morning.  
Weathervanes my one and lonely…_

"The thing is…well…" Shego sighed.

Kim tilted her head.

"I wanted to ask you…if you were interested in…sort of a…partnership."

"…partnership?"

"Yea…like…partners in crime."

_Hey moon, please forget to fall down.  
Hey moon, don't you go down.  
You are at the top of my lungs.  
Drawn to the ones who never yawn.  
_

_Hey moon, please forget to fall down.  
Hey moon, don't you go down.  
You are at the top of my lungs.  
Drawn to the ones who never yawn._

"…Kim?"

"Hmm?"

"You're, ah…supposed to answer now?"

"Oh…right." Kim blinked, a little shell-shocked. "Um…yea."

"That a yes?"

Kim nodded. "Yes." She smiled suddenly. "Definitely, yes."

Shego grinned. "Yes it is." She grabbed her drink. "Thick as Thieves, then?"

"What?"

Shego rolled her eyes and lowered her glass. "Just take a drink." She sighed, and shook her head. "We have a lot to cover…"

Kim just smiled. "I'm a quick learner."

* * *

They finished their meals, made small talk, walked through a hypothetical heist, and got the check, which Kim insisted on splitting.

The cab ride back to her apartment was quiet, and quick. Not too bad, really…

"Hey, you wanna come up?"

Shego blinked, glancing back at the cab. "Well, I do have some things to take care of…"

"Oh…right…" Kim shoved her hands in her pockets. "Heh. Sorry, I just figured we could, I dunno, talk...some more…"

"No reason to apologize, Princess." Shego chuckled, and shook her head. "I'll get in touch with you later. We can talk then, huh?"

"Sounds cool. So…later, then?"

"Yea, later."

Shego turned, sliding back into the cab.

Kim sighed as the vehicle pulled away, and made her way inside.

"Did you have a good time, Miss?"

Kim glanced up, pressing the button for the elevator. "Yea, Walter." She smiled. "Had a great time."

"Good to know." The elderly gentleman nodded. "Good day, Miss."

"Later, Walter."

The elevator beeped, and she stepped into the empty car.

* * *

Shego sighed, leaning her forehead against the window. She'd been pretty worried about the reaction she'd get.

"No worries though." She muttered to herself.

She had a partner now. The thought brought a smile to her face. Someone to help with the thievery…and a friend. Who could keep up, and share the adrenaline rush.

It'd be great…

"Drop me here." She said suddenly. The cab pulled over.

She hopped out and ran, ignoring the shouting cabbie.

She needed to run, blow off some steam. And then she had a job to plan.

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AN: Yes! I did indeed finish! Is nice, I know.

Please R&R. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.


	11. Third interlude

AN: The story continues, progresses. School starts on Tuesday, but I will attempt to keep my updates moving.

I would like to dedicate this chapter to a good friend of mine who died recently. He was really into writing, and we traded ideas a lot.

So, without further ado, the Third Interlude.

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Ron Stoppable was having a pretty decent day. Home for a couple weeks, visiting his family and friends after a long stint at one of the bigger culinary schools in the world. He'd managed to completely relax for the first time in a long while, and was loving every second of it. A knock at the door was not unexpected though, seeing as how he'd just managed a comfortable sprawl across his couch. Probably just his Dad, forgot his keys again…

"Coming!" He called, pushing himself upright and stumbling his way toward the door. Rufus, who had been attempted to sleep, grumbled and poked his head out of Ron's pocket, glaring at the door.

"Eh, it's okay buddy. Not problems. After all, there's plenty of time to relax…"

He pulled the door open, looked up…

And promptly slammed it closed again.

A moment of silence, as Ron waited patiently.

More knocking. He waited some more. There was a long pause, and he sighed.

"She's not leaving, is she buddy?"

"Nuh-uh." Rufus shook his head, looking dejected.

"Alright then…" Ron cringed and pulled the door open again. "What do you want?"

Doctor Director cleared her throat, staring down at the boy who'd slammed a door in her face. "Merely to talk, Mr. Stoppable." She glanced over her shoulder, and Ron's attention was drawn to a nondescript car, in which sat two men wearing suits.

"May I come in?"

Ron frowned, but stood aside. "Sure."

He held the door for her, took one more look at the car, and then pushed it shut.

* * *

Ron didn't like her story one bit.

"So Shego's back. That's very…interesting?" He shook his head. "But why are you _here_? Telling _me_ about it?"

Dr. Director raised an eyebrow. "I would think it would be obvious. You _are_ one of the few people in the world with any real experience in fighting Shego."

Ron's expression darkened. "I'm not going to help you in this. I think I made my whole plan pretty clear before…"

"Yes…to this day, Agent Wilson can't be in the same room as a rodent…"

"So, I'm thinking we don't have much to talk about here."

Dr. Director frowned. "Do you really think that Kim would want you to just ignore it?"

"I think she'd want me to get out." Ron said quietly. "I could tell she worried when we were on missions. It's dangerous. And…I owed her my life. Several times over, really."

"I think you give yourself too little credit, Mr. Stoppable."

Ron shook his head. "Kim was the one who saved the day. I was just the sidekick." He stood, walking towards the door. "So thanks, but no thanks."

"Mr. Stoppable…"

Ron just pulled the door open. "No. Now get out of my house."

Dr. Director stood, moving carefully towards the door. "All right. I'll leave." She paused in the doorway, giving the former sidekick a sidelong glance. "It's too bad, really. I might have been able to help you in return. Like…help with your father's trial."

Ron froze. "What?"

Dr. Director turned to face him, her expression blank. "Your father. Didn't you know about the charges? Insurance fraud." She shook her head. "Really sad. He doesn't seem the type…"

"He's not." Ron whispered.

"Well…let's hope the jury see that as well."

"You're…"

"I'm _what_, Mr. Stoppable?" Dr. Director's voice turned cold. "Nothing but the head of a Global peacekeeping force, asking for your assistance in catching a known criminal."

"My dad would never pull insurance fraud…"

"And yet the evidence says he did."

"You can't be serious…"

Dr. Director moved closer, and lowered her voice to a harsh whisper. "I am completely serious. Shego is a time bomb. We have been _very_ lucky so far, especially with Miss Possible on our side. With her disappearance, we lost a valuable asset. Shego's disappearance was Manna from Heaven, as far as I was concerned, but now she's back. And she has a partner, just as dangerous as she is."

She turned again, taking a step out the door. "I will do everything in my power to ensure they are stopped."

Ron's mouth was dry, and he dropped his gaze to the ground. "So, unless I agree to help you're going to put my dad in prison for…what is it…five years?"

"If he's lucky. But there are filing problems all the time…five years can turn into twenty-five…"

There was silence for a time.

"Fine. I'll help you."

Dr. Director sighed. "Well…that's quite a relief." She turned, moving down the walk and toward the waiting car. "Give my best regards to your father. I'll make sure to have our best lawyers on the case."

Ron stared after her, until the car was gone. Until he was sure she was gone.

Then he slammed the door and headed upstairs. He had an old Kimmunicator…a keepsake.

He needed to call Wade…

* * *

Wade sighed, reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Jeez…I'm sorry, Ron. I didn't know, when she contacted me…I shouldn't have let her know where you were going to be…"

"S'not your fault, Wade. I just never knew she was so…"

"Cold? Heartless?"

"I was gonna say whack, but those work too." Ron rubbed at the back of his neck, frowning up at the ceiling. "What about the charges?"

"They look legit." Wade sighed. "There's only a few details on the system. They probably have hard copies all over the place."

"Knowing them, they probably have it carved into a _rock_ somewhere."

Wade nodded. "She's right about one thing though…he'd have to be really lucky to get out of it without GJ's help."

"Dammit…" Ron took a deep breath, flopping back on his bed. "This is so…wrong. On a level I never thought I'd see."

"Worse than monkeys?"

"Worse than _ninja_ monkeys."

"Dang…"

A long silence.

"So…you're going to help them find Shego?"

"Don't see as how I've got much choice, Wade. I mean…my dad…"

"I get it man." Wade turned to a monitor on his right, frowning as an icon pulsed. "I'll do what I can from here."

"Thanks Wade. Call me if you find anything useful."

"Wait…what're you going to do?"

Ron shook his head. "I dunno, man. I think…I'm going to start with Drakken."

Wade nodded, tapping a specific key combination that brought up a smart-map. "He's currently…in holding. A maximum security hospital for the criminally insane. I can set up a visit."

"Do it."

"Address is on the screen. Good luck Ron."

"Same to you." Ron killed the connection and stared at the address for a moment before pocketing the Kimmunicator and turning out the lights.

"Next stop, the loony bin."

* * *

Wade sighed, taking a moment to close his eyes and plan.

The icon pulsed again, and a speaker nearby buzzed to make him aware of it. He glanced up, took a breath, and hit 'Answer'.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's Sandra again." Shego's voice crackled slightly, and Wade frowned. It couldn't be his system, so…

"Sandra…why are you in a police station in Go City?"

"Wha…you're tracking my cell?"

"Uh-huh…"

"Well then, I'll have you know I'm not _in_ a police station." Shego chuckled. "I'm _under_ one."

Wade blinked.

"Now…I need your help. And your discretion."

The young super-genius nodded. "Uh, yea. Discretion is my middle name. What do you need?"

"Well, here's the gist of it…"

* * *

"And you have no ideas where Shego could be?"

Across the table, Drakken glowered. "Not really. She didn't keep contact after she quit."

"Okay…um…" Ron scratched the side of his neck, leaning back in the uncomfortable chair. "Did she tell you where she was going, when she left?"

"Didn't talk much. And after all our time together…I gave her paid vacation, gosh-darnit!"

"Right…that doesn't help me."

"Rm…was it supposed to?"

"Sorta, yea."

"Well forgive me for not being more sympathetic. After all, there's every chance…"

"Dude, she's not breaking you out."

"…I know." Drakken tapped his foot, thinking for a moment. "Last I heard, she was in New York."

"The city, or the state?"

"Well how should I know!?" The villain snapped.

Ron sighed, reaching up to rub at his eyes. "Okay…I guess we're done here then."

"Oo! Could you ask the warden to do something about the meals? They taste like hospital food."

"Riiiiiiiiiiiight…" Ron stood, waving to the orderly that was waiting nearby. "I'll do that…"

He got out of there fast.

* * *

Kim idly flipped through channels on her TV, humming under her breath.

"Still nothing on, of course." She sighed, stopping on a travel channel for a few moments. A little over fifty dollars a month for the basics, more if she wanted channels she liked. Cable companies were good. Subtle thievery…she liked it.

Well, except for the fact that she was one of the marks…

Kim looked up as a new story came on.

And then she grinned.

"Now that…is shiny…"

She whipped out her Kimmunicator and dialed Wade.

"Kim? What's up?"

In response, Kim grinned and turned the device so the camera was facing her TV.

"…really?"

"Yup!"

Wade shook his head slightly, a little confused. "I'll look into it."

"Please and thank you!"

She cut the connection, stood, and moved to her computer. No harm in doing a little of her own research…

* * *

Wade leaned back in his chair, wishing for a few moments that he didn't have to juggle so many things at once. Sometimes it was tiring…

But usually, it was fun. So he kept it up.

He ran the search program for Ron, looking for any source of information on Shego that wasn't on his systems. He ran a second, more specialized program to help with Shego's request, and a third to pick up info on Kim's newest 'project'…all while trying to figure out what to do about Global Justice.

It was going to be busy for awhile. Maybe he'd put a couple projects on standby…and maybe move a few up on the schedule…

* * *

A week went by, and Dr. Director was unhappy with their progress. Or, more specifically, the lack thereof.

They'd managed to get agents on the trail of the thieves, get into a robbery before they could escape. But they had been woefully outmatched. And now…the trail had gone cold.

"Dr. Director?"

"What is it now?" She growled, looking up from the reports on her desk.

The agent quailed, holding up an envelope. This just arrived, Ma'am. It's…addressed to you."

"I though my mail was screened?"

"It is, Ma'am." The agent swallowed. "It's from Shego, Ma'am."

Dr. Director blinked in surprise, and stood. "Hand it over…" She reached out and snatched the envelope away as soon as he was close enough. "Dismissed."

The agent left quickly, and the head of Global Justice turned, tearing open the envelope. If it had been anything dangerous, she would have been warned…

She reached in, pulling out a three-by-five card. Written on it was one word.

"Tag…"

Dr. Director scowled, crushing the note into a tiny ball and throwing it in the trash. She turned back to her desk, hitting the intercom. "Bring me Stoppable. And put together a tracking team."

"Yes Ma'am."

She sat down, glowering at the door.

Patience. That's all they needed.

* * *

It was three months later, an unseasonably warm night in Paris. The stars were bright, the moon full. The city was busy, bright. Thriving.

But there was darkness there as well. Figures moving in the shadows, delving into depravity. The criminal aspect of the city lurked beneath the bright exterior.

And in between, skirting the edge between the light and the shadows, there were the thrill seekers. The ones after nothing but a prize and a rush.

Loving every second of it.

"I dunno, I kinda like it." A slightly shaky breath. "Nice little test of flexibility."

"Are you kidding? One wrong move and _ZAP_! Three weeks of planning goes to hell."

"That's what makes it fun."

"I'd find it more fun…" There was the crickle-crack of popping joints, and a hiss of discomfort. "…if it were off."

"Awe…what's wrong? Joints getting a little stiff in your old age?"

"Oh, ha-ha." A faked laugh, silence for a moment as Shego concentrated. "What about you? Stuck in your…little corner?"

A few feet away, Kim was bent over backwards, hovering slightly above a red beam. She tilted her head, attempting to give her partner a glare. "I'll be out in a second."

"Sure…" Shego tilted her head, moving just under another beam to balance in a small, almost clear space. "I'll believe that when you beat me out."

The two thieves were in the middle of a rather large sensor grid, having made it over ten feet so far. It had taken a good five minutes apiece, but it was just too good a challenge to pass up.

Only eight more feet…

"Mmm. Prepare…to believe."

Shego blinked in surprise as Kim moved, lifting one leg and gliding it under a beam, before kicking up with the other. Somehow, she managed to both avoid tripping the alarm _and_ pull herself into a handstand.

"I'll see you at the end, Shego." Kim chuckled, bent her arms, and then pushed off the ground. She slipped through a gap in midair, landed in a half-slide that drove her across a relatively clear section of floor, and came up in a graceful leap that carried her through the last of the beams.

Flawless. She turned around, faced her partner, and bowed.

"Thank you, thank you. No pictures, please."

"You know, you're really full of yourself."

"Look who's talking." Kim chuckled. "Just hurry up."

Shego rolled her eyes, twisting slightly to slip through another gap. It took her a few minutes, because she couldn't do anything flashy to speed it up, but she got out without a hitch. After a moment to relax, she looked to Kim with a grin. "Let's get that necklace already."

"After you." Kim motioned toward the gallery, smiling behind her mask at Shego's expression.

They moved carefully, keeping an eye out for any unmarked alarm triggers. The cameras were no problem (Wade had already taken care of them) but there could always be an extra pressure pad, or the very unlikely but entirely possible standby; a tripwire.

In the end, they made it to the display unnoticed, and went to work retrieving their prize. Kim examined the case, noting the magnetic contacts and the nearly invisible lines of the circuitry running inside the glass. They couldn't break, cut into, or pick up the case without triggering the system. But…

"Pulse, do you think?"

Kim looked up at Shego, and nodded. "Yup."

Shego grinned, holding a hand up and flaring her plasma. There was a hiss, as the concentrated electromagnetic field expanded and vanished. It was a little trick she'd picked up to wreak havoc with electronics. It had driven Drakken crazy, especially since he'd had _no_ idea…

"Gah!" Kim reeled back, yanking her mask up. "Shego!"

"Sorry Princess." Shego smirked, eyeing the small trail of smoke rising from the case. "Forgot about your fancy equipment."

"Sure you did."

"Can we just open this thing?"

Kim glared for a moment more, then turned and gripped the glass display case, lifting it carefully off the pedestal (why it was always a glass case on a pedestal, she had no idea).

"You know this thing is heavy…"

Shego just reached out and snatched up the necklace, tucking it in her ankle pouch. "You're clear."

The glass clunked back in place. A card was placed carefully on top, and an S was burned into the case.

The thieves vanished into the night.

* * *

Kim sighed, leaning back in a chair and running a hand through her hair.

"Now that…was fun."

Shego nodded in agreement, leaning against a window frame and staring down a the streets. "Very fun." She glanced over her shoulder. "I wonder if that task force is still around."

Kim grinned. "I dunno. It was kinda funny the first time we ran into them, but then it just got _annoying_…"

"It did." Shego chuckled.

Kim titled her head, then stood and crept over. She wrapped her arms around the older thief's waist, resting her chin on her shoulder and following her gaze out the window. "Why so quiet?"

Shego sighed, leaning back a bit. "Just thinking." She tilted her head a bit. "What day is it?"

"Hm? Friday."

Shego rolled her eyes. "I meant the date."

"Ah…the fifteenth."

"Right…"

"Why's the date important?"

"Hmm? Oh...no real reason."

More silence.

"We're going to Go City. Tomorrow."

Kim raised an eyebrow. "Any particular reason?"

"You'll find out." Shego turned her head, reaching up to guide Kim into a kiss. A few moments later she pulled away, a small smirk on her face. "Time for sleep though. Long day tomorrow."

Kim hummed, tugging Shego away from the window. "Alright then."

The lights were turned out, and night overtook the small apartment.

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AN: Unexpected? I know. How the heck did it happen? Well...you'll know, eventually.

Hope it measures up. Give me your input by Reviewing.


	12. Hit Rewind

School has officially started, and life has officially become that much more difficult. I'm going to do my best to keep updates regular because I know people like that.

Enjoy!

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"What's taking so long?"

"Is there any particular reason you're so antsy, or are you just like this all the time?"

"What does it matter?"

"Why are you complaining? They're on their way."

"Well their response time stinks." Shego grumbled, leaning back against a display case and holding the heavily modified communication device (no way in hell she was calling it a Kimmunicator) up a little higher. "It's been ten minutes."

"The _police_ might have been there already, if I hadn't rerouted them." Wade chuckled. "Blame paperwork. GJ can't mobilize as fast as local enforcement."

Shego rolled her eyes, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like 'bureaucracy' before answering. "Just buzz me before they show up."

"Gotcha."

The connection was cut, and silence fell again.

Very…silent…silence.

She sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. Hummed an old song, tapped her fingers.

But her thoughts drifted anyway, just like any other time she had to wait for anything…

* * *

_It had been two weeks since their partnership agreement. They'd been on a bit of a crime spree, most of it little stuff._

_This one had been different. There was some kind of…team. Waiting for them. Practically screamed GJ, the whole situation. That had been enough to make Kim feel uneasy, but she had been insistent._

_They'd gotten separated, chased in different directions. She'd been shot at, a couple times. But eventually she got away. It had been easy enough to get into the safe-house/apartment of Kim's, just lifting a master key from the front desk while the guy was distracted…_

_She didn't expect to be tackled the moment she shut the door behind her._

_"I was so worried! Where've you been!? Are you okay?"_

_Shego took a moment to answer, having been unprepared for the 'hug', but soon got out a witty reply. _

_"Yea, except for my broken ribs."_

_"Ohmigod! I'm sorry!" Kim hopped backwards "I'll get the bandages, and we'll get them bound...and there's a doctor or something that won't mind…"_

_"Kim…Kim!"_

_The younger girl cut off, blinked, and looked up._

_"It was a joke." Shego's smile was fading. "Princess…you really thought something had happened to me?"_

_Kim lowered her gaze, nodding. "I had no idea what was going on…all of a sudden you weren't there, but they were still chasing me. And then I heard gunshots, but only for a second…" She sniffed. "I thought they'd shot you…"_

_"Ah, jeez…look, Kimmie…I just took out the guns. They didn't shoot me."_

_"I know."_

_"…you were really that worried?"_

_Kim nodded again._

_"Huh…" Shego frowned "Well, I'm still okay." Or she would be, as soon as she could get cleaned up, relax a bit…_

_She blinked, froze, as Kim moved forward and pulling her into another hug, this time more gentle, softer.  
_

_"Uh…Kim?"_

_"I just…want to make sure you're real."_

_"And why wouldn't I be real?"_

_"I dunno…could just be a dream…"_

_"I'm not a dream."_

_"Just checking."_

_Shego tilted her head and gently pushed Kim back a step. Her expression was tinged with concern and confusion, but she managed to retain her trademark smirk. "You sure you didn't hit your head or something?"_

_Kim choked out a laugh, her smile looking a little forced. "Yes…" She looked up, into Shego's eyes, and whatever she'd been about to say died out. She just stared, for what seemed to be the longest time. And then, she moved up to press her lips against Shego's._

_To say Shego was surprised at this would be a serious understatement. A thousand thoughts ran through her head in a moment, finally settling on one._

_Kim…was kissing her._

_Or had been._

_Because suddenly, the younger girl pulled away with an expression of shock, and...guilt?  
_

_"I'm…I'm sorry! Shego, I didn't mean to…I mean…it was just…" Kim cut off, took a step back. "I didn't…" Tears formed in her eyes. "I'm sorry…"_

_Shego's shocked expression didn't change for some time. As Kim began to actually __cry however, it softened, saddened._

_"Kim…"_

_She reached out, caught the girl's hand. Hooked a finger under her chin, lifted her head to meet her eyes again._

_And then she kissed her back._

* * *

Shego sighed, a small smile tugging at her lips. Had she felt _stupid_…all that time pining away, finally thinking she had put it behind her, and the whole time, Kim had been dealing with the same thing...

They'd had a good laugh about that, though it had been tinged with unease. Because then the question had arisen. 'What now?'

* * *

_"Hey princess?"_

_Kim, who was laying on the floor studying a schematic for an older security system, kicked her feet absently as she looked up. "Uh-huh?"_

_Shego leaned forward slightly on the couch, tilting her head "Wanna go to Europe for awhile?"_

_"Mrmm…can we visit France?"_

_"Why France?"_

_"…I dunno. Why Europe?"_

_"To get away, I guess."_

_"Well then why __not France?"_

_"Wasn't objecting…"_

_"France it is." Kim smiled. "Maybe we can visit the Louvre."_

_"…"_

_She rolled her eyes. "As _tourists_."_

_"I would hope so." Shego leaned back. "Or else I would have to question your sanity."_

_"Oh, come on, you have to admit it would be fun."_

_"…so do you want to go or not?"_

_"I'll go get a bag packed."_

_"Meet you here in an hour."_

_They stood and moved in different directions, Shego heading for the door, Kim for her bedroom._

* * *

"Snap decisions. Only fun _sometimes_." Because after that, they'd managed to get into some trouble with Interpol _and_ grab the attention of Global Justice.

Shego checked her hyper-slim timepiece, a strip of smart-tape on the back of her hand that was keyed to display the exact time in whatever corner of the world she found herself in. The stuff was useful…but sometimes gave her information she didn't want.

"Jeez, it's only been five minutes?" She looked around. "What'm I saying…it's been five minutes and Betty's goons _still_ haven't showed up?"

No answer of course, because no one was there.

"Grah…"

Maybe she'd just…stretch. Pass the time. Yea. That sounded like a good plan.

She set down the bag of stolen coins, moved to the fairly-clear center of the room, and leaned over. Legs first…

As she moved through the different stretches, her mind wandered.

* * *

_"So, what's the story on this La Grenouille guy?" Kim looked up over her shoulder. "He seemed to know you."_

_Shego shook her head, settling her hands on the younger girl's shoulders, and pushed forward. "Mreh. He's this old black market arms dealer. High class. He tried to bid my services. Drakken beat him out."_

_Kim raised an eyebrow, huffing out a breath as she was pushed down into the stretch. "Drakken paid better than an arms dealer?"_

_"Heh. Drakken paid __more than a weapons dealer." She snorted, counting carefully before letting Kim straighten out. "I swear, if I hadn't hired an accountant on the side, there never would have been enough money to keep the lairs running, let alone pay salary for henchmen and a mercenary."_

_"Yea, well…" Kim twisted, smiling. "He did seem a bit bad about focusing too much on the 'big picture'."_

_Shego chuckled. "Yea. His screwed up version of the big picture."_

_"Don't be mean. I'm sure some of his plans made a little bit of sense…" Kim paused, and coughed out a laugh. "Okay. Yea. I agree."_

_Shego shook her head, standing up. "Come on. We're warmed up enough." She snapped her fingers. "Let's spar."_

* * *

Shego nearly jumped when the communicator buzzed. As it was, she unfolded herself and stood, pulling it out of her pocket and deftly flicking the switch to answer. "They're here?"

"There's movement outside, anyway."

"Thanks."

"Good luck."

Shego smirked, and turned off the communicator, tucking it away again.

* * *

_"One of us will need to distract them, while the other slips in to collect the stuff."_

_"You're better at sneaking." Shego smirked. "I'll handle the distraction."_

* * *

"Alright then. Time to make some noise…"

* * *

Wade brought up the cameras again, tilting his head slightly. There was movement, but…

He tapped a key, highlighting the figures. He had a count of the special team of agents GJ had put together, and it was kept up to date, taking into account injuries and returns to duty. But the count was off. They'd added another agent…

"Well…"

There was a sudden beeping, and he turned to his left, tapping a key to answer. "Hey Ron."

"Hey, Wade." Ron's face, shrouded in shadow, appeared on the screen.

"Uh, any particular reason you're whispering…or wearing a GJ uniform?"

"Yea." The former sidekick nodded. "I'm with the capture team…we've got Shego cornered in this Museum."

Wade blinked. "Where?"

"Uh, Jersey. Why?"

"Locator is malfunctioning." Not really. "Had to get a definite area…gotcha. Okay…so…"

"Can you check the cameras? Tell us where she is?"

"She probably took out the cameras already…"

"Please, dude?"

"Uh…yea, sure." Wade turned, brought up the displays. "She's still there."

Ron nodded. "Any sign of her partner?"

Wade swallowed. It was important they didn't think they'd split up… "I think I saw her for a second. She moved out of frame…"

"Cool. Thanks Wade."

"Yea, no problem."

Wade sat still for about three seconds after the screen blanked out.

Then he spun and hit the button to call Shego. The buzzer should have gone off.

But she'd turned off her communicator.

"Ah, jeez…"

* * *

Shego tilted her head, pausing for a moment…

And then dived forward, sliding along the ground. Good thing, too, because just as she went down, a large tazer-dart hit the granite column behind her.

"Damn." She pushed herself upright, wiping her mouth. "Didn't expect you hero types to be so…sneaky." A smirk. "Having to stoop to my level?"

In response, another dart flew towards her. She sidestepped it easily, clicking her tongue. "Horrible aim." Shego lit up then, letting the plasma flare, illuminate the half-darkness. Looked like that little posse GJ had put together.

And standing in front…

"Sidekick?" Shego blinked, then chuckled. "Nice jumpsuit. What, they promote you to grunt now?"

More of the dart guns were raised, but a slow wave from Ron lowered them again.

"Why don't you and your partner just come in, quietly, so we can all go home?"

"Uh, because I have no interest in being _executed_. Doy." She snorted, and stepped forward threateningly. "Guess we'll just have to fight it out, huh?

"You know Shego…" Ron looked up, frowning. "I haven't been slacking this whole time."

"So, what, you're no worse than you were?" Shego snorted. "Please."

She was surprised when he leaped at her.

A punch was blocked, and a kick was redirected. But the backhand swipe was unexpected, unfamiliar, and made it through her guard. She rocked back, but used the movement to throw her own kick. The blond just dropped into a crouch, slapping his palms against the ground and pushing himself back up to drive his shoulder into her gut.

Shego toppled, coughing as she attempted to regain her breath. She lay there for a moment, waiting until the first of the agents rushed over to 'subdue' her.

And then she struck, spinning around as best she could, to knock them back while she righted herself. One stayed down, but the others attempted to tackle her. A quick rise in temperature cut that tactic off, and she used the extra space she gained to swipe at them, drive them back even more.

Ron pushed forward, leaping over one of the agents to deliver a drop kick to her shoulder. She saw it coming, however, and slid out of the way.

The agents backed up a bit, one attempting to reload his dart gun while the rest moved to block Shego's escape. Meanwhile, the thief and former sidekick circled each other, looking here and there for an opening, any opening.

Ron rushed forward, and Shego smirked. The punch was telegraphed, proof that even that extra practice he'd hinted at hadn't made quite as much improvement as he thought. It was simple enough to time it all correctly.

She waited, then grabbed his wrist and turned, heaving him toward one of the GJ agents. Both of them slid a good ten feet before stopping, testament to her enhanced strength. The dart gun the man had been holding went off, and ended up hitting another agent. Three down in a second.

And then, to everyone's great surprise…she ran.

Ron scrambled up, reaching down to help the agent he'd hit.

"Get after her! We can catch her this time…"

* * *

Shego led them in a merry little romp around the complex for nearly twenty minutes, actually managing to avoid damaging any of the displays despite the skirmishes that broke out.

Ron was starting to get a bad feeling by now, the sneaking suspicion that they were missing something. But he pushed onward, knowing that everything would work out if he could just catch her…

Ha! She was cornered! A dead end, on one end of a gallery. They had her surrounded. There was no way she could escape. But she just smiled. And it was that smile that made Ron Stoppable pale. Because it was very obvious by that smile that she knew something they didn't.

"You know, boys…" Shego's powers were snuffed suddenly, and the gallery became shrouded in shadows again. "You never did ask _where_ my partner was." And then she looked up, staring just over Ron's shoulder.

He saw the agents look around, and couldn't help but follow their example. But...there was nothing there. Ron turned again, about to say something…

Shego was standing there, eyes screwed shut, hands held out at her sides. Plasma in each hand slowly growing brighter.

"No! Get her! Somebody cov-"

Her hands came together, and a blast of light caught the men full in the face.

Ron stumbled forward, hands out in front of him. There was shouting, to his right. So he went that way.

"Sorry boys. But I gotta go." Shego's voice drifted out of the darkness, and Ron could make out a slight green ripple, her plasma, before it vanished.

"Dammit."

He shook his head, stumbling toward the wall. Ran his hands along it, moving to his left. If he remembered correctly…

A switch was thrown, and seemingly dim light flooded the room. Already growing a little brighter.

"Thank you…"

The agents, who had decided to just stand still and wait, all turned to him.

"Okay…" Ron swallowed, pointing at the group. "You and you, go call Dr. Director. You two, get the power up, lights on. The rest of you…check the museum again."

They moved away obediently, and Ron sighed. "Man…"

He turned, shoving his hands into his pockets. He'd finally given in to working with the 'capture team', but the second mission…

Huh, weird…

He leaned down, picking up the small object that had caught his attention. He turned it over in his hands, frowning. It looked…familiar. Something about it just seemed…

Well, no matter. It hadn't been there before. It was obviously Shego's. Maybe, he could just…

* * *

Wade winced as electricity arced, and quickly rechecked the pathway. It wasn't often he actually had to deal with his hardware, it was so full of redundant systems. But, in this particular case…

Something buzzed, and he leaned out from under his desk. It was Shego's comm. unit.

He sighed in relief, tapping the button to answer before ducking down again. "I'll just be a second, Shego. Gotta check a loose connection…"

"…this isn't Shego."

Wade jumped at the voice, cracking his head against the bottom of the desk and scrambling up into his chair.

It wasn't Shego. It was Ron. On Shego's communicator.

"Oh no…"

"Wade, what's going…?"

"Sorry Ron."

Wade cut the connection and signaled it to terminate. He sat there in silence for endless minutes. And then, finally, moved to call Kim.

* * *

Shego smirked as she slipped into the sleek, unassuming car, glancing once at the driver. "So, I take it you got our things back?"

"Mmhmm." Kim, still in her mask, glanced into the back seat. "Everything they managed to get their hands on." Which hadn't been much. She'd gotten it all out in one box. "But there was a problem."

Shego frowned. "Same here. What happened on your end?"

Kim winced as she guided them out of the alleyway and into traffic. "A few of the investigators had managed to get your diary open."

"Damn…"

"I know."

"Did they…find out anything?"

"About me? No. About our plans? No. About your teenage angst? A whole lot."

Shego scowled. "I'll fry them…"

"No need." Kim chuckled. "They're going to be in traction for a little while." There was a pause, as she took a sharp turn. "So what was your problem?"

"Hmm?" Shego looked around. "Oh, right. I ran into, ah…sidekick."

"You mean…Ron?"

The green-skinned thief nodded. "That's the one. He was leading that GJ goon squad."

Kim frowned. "I suppose he's one of the only other people even close to knowing how you work…"

"At least on the 'good' side." Shego shrugged. "He wasn't half bad. Given a couple more years of solid practice…he'd be on par with either of us."

"Always knew he had potential…" Kim sighed. "So, did you have to do anything…drastic?"

Shego shook her head. "Nope. Just used my newest little trick."

"The flashy thing?"

"That's the one." Shego smirked. "They were bumbling around for a few minutes, but there wasn't anything too bad. Got away easy…" She stopped suddenly, and groaned. "Dammit, I forgot to call short-stack…"

"Wade."

"Hacker-boy."

"Wade."

"Computer Geek."

"_Wade_."

"Wade."

"W-Shego!"

"Kimmie, that's _my_ name…"

Kim growled, taking advantage of a stoplight to pull her mask off. "Just call him."

Shego shrugged, reaching into the leg-pouch where she normally kept important things.

It wasn't there.

"Uh…can I borrow yours?"

"You lost it!?"

"Sorta?"

"How did you lose it?"

Shego thought for a second. "Maybe on the way over from the museum?"

"We scouted those rooftops. Unless you did something stupid…"

"Which I didn't."

"…It wouldn't have been able to fall out of there."

"Well then I must have lost it in the fight."

Kim sighed, reaching for her Kimmunicator and handing it over. "Just call him and tell him he needs to slag it."

"You betcha…" Shego turned the hyper-functional phone over in her hands, flipping it on and pressing the call button. The screen flickered to life instantly.

"Kim!?"

"Sorry, but that's incorrect. Would you like to play again?"

Wade just shook his head. "Is Kim with you?"

"What, you think I'm driving with my feet?" Shego snorted. "Of course she's with me."

Kim frowned, glancing over at the screen. "What's up Wade? You sound upset."

"I am." The young genius tapped a few keys, focusing on another screen for a moment. "Shego…Ron got hold of your comm. He called, and I didn't realize…"

Shego's expression became serious. "He knows?"

"He knows."

"Which means GJ knows." Kim hissed. "How bad is it?"

"They've been trying to track me, but I've managed to shake them off." Wade sighed. "I had to completely reroute my network. It's going to take forever to straighten out, and, in the meantime, my resources are a bit more…limited, than normal."

"So now they know you've been working with me." Shego gave Kim a sidelong glance. "Do you think they've made a connection?"

"I couldn't tell you that." Wade shook his head. "Look, I'll let you know more when I find out more, okay? For right now…I think it's best for you to hide out. Let the heat die down a little bit."

Shego nodded, then paused. "Is it ready?"

"Ready enough." Wade sighed. "I'll see you two later." And then he cut the connection.

Kim glanced over, confused. "Is what ready?"

"You'll see." Shego gave a half smile. "Take the next three lefts, and head for 25th and main."

Kim raised an eyebrow, but nodded and moved to follow the directions.


	13. Author's Note

Hello everyone out there in FanFiction land! This is a notice/apology!

For...what, two years now...this fic has been _dead_. To be perfectly honest, I fell out of love with it.

Well, now it's nagging at me.

I like to think my writing style has evolved a bit. If ya'll are willing to give it a shot, I'm going to revise it (again ^^;;), and hopefully see it through to the end.

It won't be quick, that much I'm sure of. And I'll probably either limit the 'songfic' part of the whole thing...or cut it out all together.

Tell me what you think! Is it worth the trouble? Should the music remain? Seriously, I'm curious.


	14. And So it Begins

Alright, so two 'go for it's is totally enough for me. ^^

I'm just going to publish it seperately, you guys, so check my profile to get there. First chapter has some basics for ya to look out for. I'd appreciate it if you at least glanced over it.


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